Great play date

Today one of my husband’s co-worker came over with his wife and two daughters, and it turned out to be a GREAT play date for Jake. The girls were age 2 ½ and 5, and both were a bit shy. In the past, most of the children who came in contact with Jake were either too active for him, which left him unable to keep up; or they also could not engage in group play, which made it very difficult to facilitate interactive play. But these two girls were perfect play mates for Jake - they liked table top games such as puzzles, stickers, finger painting, simply board games, which are all the things Jake is familiar with, and can participate in, AND they were so patient which allowed Jake to take his time to do his part.

The kids did a lot of activities together with parents’ help, because not only Jake needed help, the 2 ½ year old also needed some help. Particularly, they kids played the Brown bear Brown bear What Do You See board game, where the players needed to match the animal cards. Jake actually played the entire game from beginning to end with some help. He did so well waiting for his turn, and matched the cards on his own. The only thing he didn’t get is the whole idea that whomever matched all the cards first wins the game, but other than that, he did well.
They also played the Let’s Go Fish game. Again Jake surprised us by his persistence to catch the fish, and he actually did catch a few all by himself. His fine motor has really improved even beyond my expectation. But most of all, it was evident that his social skills and his desire to play in a group setting have improved significantly. The kids also did many other activities that Jake attempted to do but didn’t do too well, such as bean bag tossing, finger painting, play dough, and this other shape board game which was really quiet complicated. But all and all, we were so impressed by Jake, as he held his own and demonstrated his abilities and happy attitudes.

Go Jake! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!