Playing Poohsticks with Preschoolers

Do you ever just say yes? Even when the timing isn’t great? Even when you aren’t sure how you’ll pull it off? Even when you aren’t sure if you want to? 

Anyone following me on a regular basis knows that I am often a sick mama. With this comes a lot of nos. There are days I can’t do much of anything. There are a lot of days that they have to wait or come with me to do something for me when they would much rather be playing or doing something else. My kids are amazing really. 

What does this have to do with saying yes?

Well, there are days when I want to lie down, when I don’t really want to do anything, but one of them has an idea. They share that idea and then the other one jumps on board. Especially when they were preschoolers this was accompanied by a lot of jumping up and down like only enthusiastic preschoolers really can and I was recently reminded of one of those times.  

It was how we ended up playing Pooh Sticks.

We were snuggled on the couch reading, about ten years ago now. We were there mostly because they love books and I love books, but on this particular day also because I wasn’t feeling well and it involved very little movement on my part. We were snuggled up and reading stories from Winnie the Pooh.

We got to the story about the friends playing Pooh Sticks and this sparked an idea. My daughter commented that they were on a bridge like the bridge over our neighborhood pond. “Let’s go there and play that too!” she shouts. I could have pushed it off to “another day” or said no, but I said yes and we headed to the pond by our house. 

Have you read or watched Winnie the Pooh?

I have fond memories of my dad reading these stories aloud to me. He has a gift for making voices that helps to bring characters to life. His Eeyore was always my favorite. 

In The House at Pooh Corner, there is a story about Pooh dropping a pinecone into the water by accident and he notices that it pops out on the other side of the bridge. The game itself comes from this incident and is quite simple. 

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Everyone finds a stick (or I suppose a pinecone) and goes to the middle of a bridge. (A river would work the best, but we pulled it off on the pond by our house.) 

When everyone is ready, you drop your sticks into the water at the same time. Then you run to the other side of the bridge and watch to see whose stick comes out first. This person being the winner. 

So, why should you play Poohsticks with your preschoolers?

I could tell you that it is a lovely lesson in patience, currents, floating and other things, because it certainly is. I could also tell you that it is good to get outside and play. This is also true.

But, really what this story reminded me of (aside from the lifelong love of Winnie the Pooh that is still remarkably strong in our house full of teenagers) is that sometimes, not all the time of course, but sometimes, it is important to say yes.

Yes to the whimsy.

Yes to the random ideas.

Yes to the simple fun.

ESPECIALLY when it’s an idea from one of your kids. Because after all of the math lessons and writing assignments, after all of the chores completed and tasks learned, I think it is the moments of simple joy together that will be remembered most. The moments when they asked if we could throw sticks in the pond and watch them float and we did.