Jen143-- I am so thrilled for you! This is definitely the start of great things to come for your ds. Im waiting impatiently for my 4 month old to grow up and start bothering her brother. I will surely be modeling chase games for them- sounds like a great way to jump start things...That's wonderful. When my ds was 4.5 I would arrange 'playdates' and he
started socializing by coping every move the other kid would make. That
kind of echoing playing/movements lasted a few month and then lead to
more independent play.
It's great. Our kids might learn some skills delayed and differently but
they do earn on their own terms. And what a blessing siblings are.That's wonderful!
Our dd has a 9 years older sissy that she ignored for years and now they are total magic together:)
Thanks everyone! Tomorrow will be another test - a little friend is coming over to play in the morning. I'll be curious about how Michael reacts to a third in the mix now with his new behavior.
It's so cute - we just returned from speech therapy and for some reason or other, Christopher took off one shoe and sock in the car and carried them in the house. As soon as we got inside, Michael took off one shoe and sock and now the two of them are running around with one bare foot! It's very cute.
Siblings can be worth their weight in gold when it comes to "therapy" for our kids! Tony (my autie) is 12-1/2, and my youngest son (NT) is 10. I have often said God knew what He was doing when He gave us Daniel! Our youngest has been more inspiration for Tony than any therapist we've come across.
Nurture the relationship... and way to go Michael & Christopher!
Mary
That is so great !!! That is so wonderful!!Sounds great. I bet your younger son is happy his bro is interested in him!
This is exactly how my youngest son, who's almost year older than Michael, started to socialize. He and his older brother chased each other! This lead to things like pushing cars around the house together, joining in with neighbor kids as they ran around the yards or rode their bikes, and joining in with kids at the playground. This seemed to be how he transition from parallel play to now actually engaging with another child.
Yeah Michael! Thanks for sharing the good news.
That is FANTASTIC and AWESOME That is HUGE! That is exactly what happened here too, it started with chase, so I turned it into tag, and it is still their favorite game. And as already stated that led to other things. I think it is also part of what led to referencing and seeking approval. That is great!I don't know what happened, but Michael started doing the most adorable thing. Last week, he and his younger brother (who is 1 1/2 years younger) started chasing each other around the house. Christopher fell down (on purpose) and then Michael did it too. We didn't think much of it, but then Michael started to copy absolutely everything Christopher was doing - clapping, jumping, dancing, even some of the talking. Now, you have to understand, Michael has had virtually NO social skills. Other than an occasional chase around the house, Michael NEVER plays with his brother unless I'm supervising some sort of game to practice turn-taking. Michael seems so happy when he's imitating his brother. It's like he's actually enjoying playing with him. I can't believe what an unbelievable occurence this is. I don't know what brought this on. A week or so ago, my nephews were visiting from out-of-town (they are about the same age as my boys) and Christopher and the younger nephew were inseparable. I'm wondering if Michael was observing and taking all of that in. Now he and his brother are thick as thieves. I couldn't be happier - I hope this continues. I'm a little worried because come August 20th, school starts and the whole routine will change since Michael is starting kindergarten at a new school. Hopefully, if anything, that will only be a temporary setback. I hope this is the beginning of some REAL socialization. Even though it's not exactly typical socialization, it's a whole heck of a lot more than he's ever exhibited before!!