Why Play Based Learning?
Why is a play-based approach important?
Play is the way most humans, but especially young children, make sense of their world. Play-based learning is an important way to develop active learning. Active learning means using your brain in lots of ways. When children play, they:
- Explore the world – natural and social - Develop and practice social and language skills that may be more complex than in everyday activities - Expand and challenge their physical skills - Experiment with new ideas including symbolic competence required for formal learning - Enhance their self-confidence - Think and express themselves creatively - Respond to experiences with or without language - Develop their sense of self and identity.
What does play look like?
Children may play on their own in solitary play; alongside someone else but independently in parallel play or with other children in cooperative play. - Play may be structured, where someone else makes the rules and decisions. - Play may be unstructured, where the child is self-directed or takes all the initiative.
What can children learn in play?
- Positive attitudes of self-motivation and self-direction - Self-confidence - Co-operation and group values - Curiosity, persistence and concentration - Language and numeracy
We can support children’s play by
- Allowing for extended periods of time for children to remain in ‘the flow’ of their play - Providing resources such as safe household items and materials - Making enough space to focus on the play activity - Catering for choices of activity, materials and equipment - Role-modelling to encourage and extend ideas - Challenging them with more complex thinking, novel ideas or experiences This is an excellent article about the vital importance of play in childhood: “The play deficit” by Peter Gray. http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human/children-today-are-suffering-a-severe-deficit-of-play/
Play is the way most humans, but especially young children, make sense of their world. Play-based learning is an important way to develop active learning. Active learning means using your brain in lots of ways. When children play, they:
- Explore the world – natural and social - Develop and practice social and language skills that may be more complex than in everyday activities - Expand and challenge their physical skills - Experiment with new ideas including symbolic competence required for formal learning - Enhance their self-confidence - Think and express themselves creatively - Respond to experiences with or without language - Develop their sense of self and identity.
What does play look like?
Children may play on their own in solitary play; alongside someone else but independently in parallel play or with other children in cooperative play. - Play may be structured, where someone else makes the rules and decisions. - Play may be unstructured, where the child is self-directed or takes all the initiative.
What can children learn in play?
- Positive attitudes of self-motivation and self-direction - Self-confidence - Co-operation and group values - Curiosity, persistence and concentration - Language and numeracy
We can support children’s play by
- Allowing for extended periods of time for children to remain in ‘the flow’ of their play - Providing resources such as safe household items and materials - Making enough space to focus on the play activity - Catering for choices of activity, materials and equipment - Role-modelling to encourage and extend ideas - Challenging them with more complex thinking, novel ideas or experiences This is an excellent article about the vital importance of play in childhood: “The play deficit” by Peter Gray. http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human/children-today-are-suffering-a-severe-deficit-of-play/