About Butterfly Play
Butterfly Play was born out of my years as an educator both in mainstream and special educational settings. One factor I have seen in many of the children who are struggling has been a lack of play skills. I have also seen how play works to reach all students and children. It is the most natural way to learn and is connected with academic success. It builds up their social-emotional skills, academic skills, and boosts self confidence. It is also a very strong way for parents to connect with their children. This has led to my passion for working with parents and teachers on how to build and help develop play skills in their children.
My goals for Butterfly Play are to:
Teach children to play imaginatively & independently.
Teach children to work with and play with others.
Empower parents and educators in helping guide their children/students in building up social-emotional skills through play.
Help set up children for success in the classroom by creating guided plans for support staff.
As a child learns to play by himself and with others, our role as a guide in play becomes less necessary as independence grows. This helps children become more focused and increases their ability to sit and pay attention for longer periods of time. This helps set the stage for self-confidence, self reliance and leadership abilities.
About Nechama
Nechama has a masters in both general education and special education. She is trained in ABA (applied behavior analysis) and often uses the floortime method in her work. Nechama has worked in a variety of settings involving children with all different levels of educational and developmental needs. She believes that every child has the ability to connect and learn.
Nechama worked with children in early intervention and as a classroom teacher and has seen how play skills are not only a strong indicator of success but also the most natural way to teach children.
She worked to integrate children with special needs into mainstream classroom settings through her work as a SEIT (Special Education Itinerant Teacher) and as the special educator in integrated classrooms in the New York Department of Education. She has also trained shadows and support staff to help maximize students success.
Nechama does educational consulting where she helps schools and therapists maximize play time and teach students social emotional skills through play.