No shoes rebellion

The toddlers have decided to take off their shoes and socks and keep them off as they play in the sand and run around our play area.
The sun is out and the tractor tyres have plenty of fresh play sand in for digging and exploring. Some of the girls start to make sand cakes and buns, using their spades, buckets and pans. Lucy decides to take off her shoes and socks and begins to run around the playground. I remind her to put them back on. The toddlers know very well that we want them to keep their shoes on. Not only for social and hygienic reasons but also to protect their feet from being run over by busy trike riders, enthusiastic stroller pushers, for climbing up and down the slide steps and climbing ropes.
Finding it amusing Aine, Robyn and Beatrix also took off their shoes and socks and cheekily flaunt them in a pile and begin to merrily run around in a circle laughing and giggling. Their faces said chase me while running. Seamus saw they were having fun and decided he too will take off his shoes and socks. He told me his excuse was that they were wet. The younger toddlers watched their shoe-sock free friends happily playing together. It was a jolly and beautiful sight. I decided it will be pointless to call them to stop immediately and put on their shoes and socks. They were having fun and were safe as the play area was free of any hazards, it was sunny and a few more minutes they will be called in for dinner time. The younger toddlers enjoy pairing the correct shoes together and can name whom the shoes belonged to. So clever, especially with the children owning so many pairs of shoes these days.
All the toddlers in Crawford Childcare, Glanmire understand they must put on shoes and socks. Although we tell them to keep their shoes on, it is good to see them practice taking them on and off and how they sometimes try on each other's shoes.
What a great reminder that sometimes our typical social rules can be broken so long as no one is harmed. Sometimes great learning is created from the most spontaneous of events and it is important to allow this by not being too rigid in our expectations of children.