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Recess commodities?



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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 5:41 pm
So at parent-teacher night I received a gentle suggestion that my 1st grade DD could use some accessories to make her more interesting at recess.

I'm not so good at this myself - I was the one reading at recess - so I need some help with this... I heard shopkins are in but I can't understand them, and they're kind of pricey, and what do they even do with them? Suppose I buy a pack of 10 or so little mentchies, and she brings them to school, and then what? Is she going to need a new one every other day?! Am I going to socially imperil her if I buy the wrong set?! I REALLY don't get this stuff...

Other than shopkins, what else could I send to make my DD a more attractive recess participant?
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mummiedearest




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 5:46 pm
this tactic doesn't work for very long. if she's having a hard time socially, arrange playdates with classmates regularly. if that doesn't help, try to get her some social counseling. buying her accessories will not interest other kids in her, they will only be interested in accessories. in fact, if they want the toys enough, they may manipulate her into trading for lesser toys. if your child herself requests certain toys because she is aware of the classroom trends, she should be able to tell you what to buy her. based on your post, I'm assuming this isn't the case.
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 5:48 pm
Shopkins are a big deal. I don't get it either but the kids do. They show them off and admire them and talk about them and trade them. One small set should be enough. But really any cheap small 99 cents store toy works too.

She can take in stuff that she likes. Like a little toy she can show off. My DD likes taking in special coloring books sometimes (like with the invisible marker) or a book with hidden objects in pictures, that kind of thing. Or stickers or cute erasers. Whatever she's into and would enjoy showing off.

So nice the teacher is looking out for her like this. My DDs teacher begs us not to let them bring in toys because they play with them during class.
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 5:59 pm
Yeah I also always thought you don't bring stuff to school... but apparently you do.

I disagree that it's not going to help. If everyone in the class is bringing tchotchkas and she's not, then she'll be left out. She is the type who might be manipulated into bad trades, but I think she's not into it enough to really care about that, she'd be more interested in the fact that people are trading with her and not ignoring her.

She actually does have a therapist helping her with social skills and the teacher says she's doing really well overall, we just think that she could use more "props" to help her out. When a kid is working hard to learn the ropes, they can use the boost to help things along.
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Optione




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 6:03 pm
What about bringing a game that others can play? I'm not so familiar with first grade games, but what about Go Fish or Old Maid?
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mummiedearest




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 7:05 pm
amother wrote:
Yeah I also always thought you don't bring stuff to school... but apparently you do.

I disagree that it's not going to help. If everyone in the class is bringing tchotchkas and she's not, then she'll be left out. She is the type who might be manipulated into bad trades, but I think she's not into it enough to really care about that, she'd be more interested in the fact that people are trading with her and not ignoring her.

She actually does have a therapist helping her with social skills and the teacher says she's doing really well overall, we just think that she could use more "props" to help her out. When a kid is working hard to learn the ropes, they can use the boost to help things along.


it's not necessarily a bad thing, just not something to rely on long-term. we did something like this with our son, the school social worker suggested it. he did get more attention from the other kids when he had the toys in school, but they ignored him otherwise. he didn't mind, but your daughter might. does her social status or lack thereof in class bother her?
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Rutabaga




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 08 2016, 7:27 pm
I might be dating myself, but kugelach were very popular back in my day. Jacks are similar and fun to play. It helps if your daughter is good at it so maybe practice at home first.

Other ideas are a small bouncing ball for games or a jump rope or Chinese jump rope.

My daughter's class is very into mancala, which you can get for under $10 and donate to the classroom.

I don't get Shopkins either, but there is always some fad that everyone gets excited about for seemingly no good reason. Sticker books and fancy erasers are cute but only help with social interaction if the class is into trading stuff.

You may be best off going into a local store that sells shmuntzies and asking what the latest fad is and what is becoming popular. If your daughter can be among the first to have a new item that might generate some interest.
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Fri, Dec 09 2016, 6:28 am
Just a suggestion, only send her with toys/items that are big enough not to get lost.

In addition to my social failings in 1st grade, I was also quite disorganized, and I remember bringing something to recess to show off and play with, and it got lost. They never found it either. I never felt so bad in my life, and of course then my mother didn't want to give me more things to bring. 1st grade is little to keep track of a bunch of small items, and if you drop one, another kid will often find it and keep it for themselves. She will feel awful if she loses something.

I recommend having her bring something on the bigger side - a jump rope or Chinese jump rope, a ball (a beach ball isn't heavy, but a few tennis balls can work too), fat sidewalk chalk (good for drawing, and also good for setting up hopscotch or the like).
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asmileaday




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Dec 09 2016, 10:40 am
Rutabaga wrote:
I might be dating myself, but kugelach were very popular back in my day. Jacks are similar and fun to play. It helps if your daughter is good at it so maybe practice at home first.

...snip


Believe it or not kugelach are back in! (Much like the rubiks cube last year.) I don't know about the girls but in my boys cheder it's extremely popular.
My 6yr old is a pro, it's unreal! I also think it's excellent for eye/hand coordination.
And it's really cheap.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 10 2016, 3:12 pm
Ok I don't know all these things but do NOT do that. It never works long time. Anne Frank hyd has a short story about this.
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MyUsername




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 10 2016, 3:21 pm
You could have her learn some magic tricks / card tricks that she can do for the other kids. It's a surefire way to get the other kids to notice you and a good icebreaker.

But regardless of whether it's magic tricks, special toys, collectibles, etc., these things will not make the other kids be friends with her. They might notice her or play with or her stuff for a bit, but don't confuse that with friendship. Teaching her how to make friends and how to be a friend might be a more important thing to do.
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Tue, Dec 13 2016, 2:28 am
I laughed so much at this http://www.airingmylaundry.com......html

So it seems like Shopkins are popular among the friends, but today's Amazon deal is these https://www.amazon.com/Num-Nom.....r=1-2
Which seem a little more cost-effective. Though that's only the one day deal or something and according to camelcamelcamel they're almost always much more, so maybe it's not a good idea to start this habit.

Looks like I'm going to have to go over to the Shopkins dark side. This is so not me but sometimes we just need to accept that our kids are different than us. I just wish mine wasn't so into consumerism, but I feel like I need to play along to an extent so she doesn't feel like I'm not getting her.
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Tue, Dec 13 2016, 8:56 am
LOL joke's on me, I said I am definitely overthinking this, went on ebay and bid on a few "lots" - after looking at completed listings and seeing that they go for a few dollars, I took some that were .99 and ending on the soon side, bid a few dollars, and went to sleep.

Now it looks like I'm going to be the proud owner of about 60 little devils... in about 5 months when the rowboat gets here from China.

Spent about $20 more than I had in mind but hopefully they'll still be in style and we'll have enough to live out the fad.

LOL
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 13 2016, 9:07 am
amother wrote:
LOL joke's on me, I said I am definitely overthinking this, went on ebay and bid on a few "lots" - after looking at completed listings and seeing that they go for a few dollars, I took some that were .99 and ending on the soon side, bid a few dollars, and went to sleep.

Now it looks like I'm going to be the proud owner of about 60 little devils... in about 5 months when the rowboat gets here from China.

Spent about $20 more than I had in mind but hopefully they'll still be in style and we'll have enough to live out the fad.

LOL


Ebay is a mom's best friend! DD got obsessed with Littlest Pet Shop, and that was the only way I could afford it. We bid on blind lots, so the critters we received were always a surprise. DD traded with her BFF, used an old doll house, and had a wonderful time. She's 13 now, and sometimes she still plays with them on Shabbos.

(She never took them to school, though. They were for the neighborhood kids to play with.)
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