Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education | Fisher Price
Play and learning can not be divided during the earliest years because as children are finding out about what things do when they touch them and what they can do when sitting, crawling, cruising, clambering, climbing, standing, reaching, pulling, pushing and so on they are also gaining mastery and control of their bodies — so play is learning.
At the same time the sounds and words and gestures that they have experienced in interactions with others help babies to understand ways of relating to others and whilst they will have had great fun blowing raspberries or squealing with delight when somebody has played peek-a-boo with them they have also begun to learn social and emotional skills which will help their development as people.
Young children soak up the atmosphere around them and are affected and can be upset if others are depressed or sad so it would be fair to say that they are learning about emotions right from the start. And by the time a child is a year old their understanding of language is growing rapidly.
Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education
When children play, they are learning at the highest level. Play can extend certain areas of their learning — for example, developing language skills by promoting talk between children or introducing new vocabulary that they use and act out in their play.
One example of a planned experience for older children in the EYFS would be setting up a health centre in a classroom. Children enjoy finding out about stethoscopes and Xrays, role playing different jobs, diagnosing a sore throat and even bandaging a pretend broken arm. The DVD really enables the audience to review and critique, following chapter viewings and discussions. A DVD, case studies and examples support parents and practitioners, working in a wide range of settings, to learn more about the conditions and contexts for play and learning.
Developed as the result of a project undertaken in five early years centres in the UK, focusing on high quality experiences for children from birth to three, the resource materials are highly relevant for training and professional development, addressing significant issues relating to childcare practice. The underlying message is that when children play they also learn, and the authors explore this in further detail by examining the following questions:. The DVD and accompanying book are organised in such a way that it can be studied by individuals or groups led by a trainer.
The sequences involved reflect everyday experiences and interactions between children and their parents or practitioners, and additional support is provided by the inclusion of selected readings, questions and challenges for consideration. The importance of observing children in order to identify and respond to their interests is emphasised throughout.
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Home About Us Contact Us. Pre-Birth to Three Play Pre-Birth- Three Living, playing and learning are almost one and the same thing for babies and young children for much of the time. They carefully watch her eyes and mouth — finding out all about her and they enjoy hearing her singing and seeing the different movements of muscles in her face. Playfulness begins in earnest — smiles become broader as the baby expresses delight at seeing special people like dad, or mum, big brother and grandparents. The movement of a mobile or seeing and hearing a black and white squeaky toy soon begins to interest young babies because they are finding out about the world through whatever they can see, hear, touch, smell and taste.
What is it about play that makes it so important? Play has a long and detailed research history that dates back to the work of Locke and Rosseau. While research on brain development is in its infancy, it is believed that play shapes the structural design of the brain. We know that secure attachments and stimulation are significant aspects of brain development; play provides active exploration that assists in building and strengthening brain pathways.
The intellectual and cognitive benefits of playing have been well documented. Physically active play allows children to test and develop all types of motor skills. It promotes significant health and wellbeing benefits. Centres that were found to have a high-quality, play-based learning program incorporated:. One of the greatest benefits of playing is to assist with the development of social competence. Children can build relationships, learn to resolve conflicts, negotiate and regulate their behaviours. In play, children usually have increased feelings of success and optimism as they act as their own agents and make their own choices.
Playing is a known stress release; it is often linked to child wellbeing. The dispositions for learning, such as curiosity, openness, optimism, resilience, concentration, and creativity SACSA, , are developed in play. Playing is linked to the development of resilience and the beginnings of empathy as children begin to understand other points of view.
- Play & Learning.
- Early years children learn by playing;
- The Carpenter (ImmanuEl Book 1).
- Why play-based learning? (free article)?
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- Early years children learn by playing | Letters | Education | The Guardian;
However, not all play is kind or inclusive, so educators have to act accordingly to ensure that play is not harmful. How can quality play-based learning take place effectively? Then, together with families, they plan carefully how to use play-based activities as one tool to promote the learning that will achieve the EYLF outcomes. Planning the environment to assist children to achieve outcomes is important in providing quality play experiences.
The environment can be intentionally planned in four main ways:. Early childhood educators need to be articulate, to be able to justify clearly, provide evidence for and proclaim the benefits of play-based learning. The EYLF is based on sound, proven early childhood pedagogy and practice principles. However, for the EYLF to be implemented properly, all early childhood educators need to know what play is, why it is important, how to implement and assess a play-based program and their role in it.
What research tells us about the ways young children learn. Educational Leadership, 63 1 , Play for a change. Play policy and practice: