Type of Play Play is very important in the child’s growth and development (Myers 2012). The type of play that is found in early childhood are things that use their hands, and minds. Using games/toys helps kids interact with other kids to create a social environment and comfort. Play also helps children learn in many ways (Myers 2012). You usually find kids playing with blocks, building things, and games that use their imagination (Guyton
| -Student can grasp abstract concepts but does not know how to connect them to reality. | -Student expresses self-recognition, hygiene, and self-awareness.-Student does not always act or think in a logical reality. | -Concrete operational period is being shown. This is the stage during which children begin applying logic and reasoning to concrete events.
Cognitive development is tied into physical and social interactions in the preschool years as children are constructing view of the world and actions in the preschool years as children are constructing a view of the world and discovering concepts. Play also enables children to sort through conflicts and deal with anxieties, fears, and disturbing feelings in an active, powerful way. Adults contribute to the development of children’s sense of initiative in several ways. Adutls are responsible for setting up the environments for children’s play and making sure it is safe for everybody in it. There has been a movement for many years to include children with disabilities with their peers in schools, preschools, and child care center.
Play provides children with opportunities to develop social competence through ongoing interactions. Play interactions help children understand that other players have perspectives different than their own. Make-believe permits children to learn about their social world and to try out new social skills. Play facilitates the understanding of cultural roles and to integrate accepted social norms into their own personalities. Preschool is a great opportunity for young children to be able to interact with other children their age.
How do these theories of development influence current practice? Piaget - Adults should provide a play based curriculum and a stimulating environment through which children can construct their own knowledge and understanding. The adult should not intervene unnecessarily in children’s play as play should be child-led. * This theory influences current practice because we provide a play based curriculum which is the Early Years Foundation Stage. This covers: communication & language, physical development, and personal, social and environmental development.
The creative process helps us by teaching us about who we are, what we love and what we can give to others. Benefits Being involved in creative activities is fun and absorbing for children. Evidence suggests that it helps children to have positive experiences and develop important characteristics and abilities such as: • Concentration – Focusing on what they are doing. • Communication - Developing better communication through talking, listening, writing or pictures. • Language - Increasing vocabulary, reading and writing skills.
The most important role that play can have is to help children to be active, make choices and practice actions to mastery. They should have experience with a wide variety of content (art, music, language, science, math, social relations) because each is important for the development of a complex and integrated brain. Play that links sensori-motor, cognitive, and social-emotional experiences provides an ideal setting from brain development. According to Montessori, the essential dimensions of play are: Voluntary, enjoyable, purposeful and spontaneous Creativity expanded using problem solving skills, social skills, language skills and physical skills Helps expand on new ideas Helps the child to adapt socially Helps to thwart emotional problems If play is the work of the child, toys are the tools. Through toys, children learn about their world, themselves, and others.
It enables children to interact and participate in a variety of projects to encourage creativity and independence. This is a good strategy as it encourages children to construct their knowledge through the relationships they build with others and the surrounding environment. ‘’It is an approach where the expressive arts play a central role in learning and where a unique reciprocal learning relationship exists between practitioner and child’’. www.educationscotland.gov.uk/ (21/11/13). It is an important aspect to carry out when allowing children to play, as it encourages children to be independent learners, and allows them to understand and learn about life and the world.
This paper will discuss an example of how a child can learn through play in each of these areas of development. Learning through Play An age appropriate, content-rich environment that allows children to explore and play creates energy and enthusiasm that historically, has put a drive to development that is inseparable (Van Hoorn, Nourot, Scales, Alward, 2011). When teachers are engaged in children’s play it helps to enhance their learning through all the areas of development. Cognitive skills are developed through children interacting with people and materials in their environment. As they explore in hands on activities they are learning about patterns, relationships, problem solving and processing of information necessary to help them succeed in school.
How play encourages a child’s development Play encourages a child’s development because it enables children to develop their language skills, social skills, physical-coordination, emotional maturity and exploration skills From birth-three, play encourages self-reliance and helps with problem solving learning about the physical world and how it works around them. From age’s three-eight children learn by using imaginary skills such as playing with materials and practising language. Play is vital for children’s development because it helps to build... Language skills helping them to interact with not only themselves but other children/adults. From birth to three children will more use gestures and toy with words to communicate and as they