Childcare / T.A - C.A.C.H.E course Levels (lv2, lv1): Level 2 C.A.C.H.E Training (WITHOUT ALL SUPPORTING...

Childcare / T.A - C.A.C.H.E course Levels (lv2, lv1): Level 2 C.A.C.H.E Training (WITHOUT ALL SUPPORTING...: "Teaching and Learning in Schools(P1) The Communication area of development 3-7 Year oldThe acronym..."

Level 2 C.A.C.H.E Training (WITHOUT ALL SUPPORTING QUOTES)

Teaching and Learning in Schools

(P1)

The Communication area of development 3-7 Year old

The acronym S.P.I.C.E.S will be used to describe the different ways a child develops during sessions in play.

The Development Values of S.P.I.C.E.S

 Social, Physical, Intellectual, Communication, Emotional and Spiritual.

3 Year Old Communication Development

A child can usually inform of their age, explain their wants and needs.

A child will enjoy partaking in make believe games, imitating or pretending by recall.

“During this stage the child is acting through intuition and previous experience, not through concrete ideas or logical reasoning” (Piagit.J Copyright 1995, 215)

4 Year Old Communication Development

There’s a noticeable progressions to speech, ability to communicate on a higher level and an ability to forge new friendships with their vocabulary advances.

5 Year Old Communication Development

This age usually brings the ability to communicate in social and domestic environments.

“on average a five year old can usually count to 15 and can understand the basic idea of numbers, can write a few letters, and may be learning to read” (Piagit,J Copyright 1995, 219)

6 Year Old Communication Development

Children should now be made aware of social acceptance by discouraging anger and encouraging humour.

7 Year Old Communication Development

Children are now usually able to communicate all their emotions, such as contentment, happiness and excitement, impatience, anger, sadness.

(P2)

Factors Which May Affect Development of Communication

Poor lighting, visual noise, general noise, distance, echo, distraction, intimidation, posture and position, unfamiliarity with surroundings or people can all pose an affect on a child’s ability to develop their communication skills.

Lack of careful planning that is shown by an adult, peer, teacher or care worker could lead to confusion or misinterpretation from the child and this in turn could complicate the development of communication skills.

If a child’s holistic values are approached with ignorance to either a their culture, belief, language financial stature in the community from either adults, care workers, teachers or peers then there is a high probability that the child may become withdrawn, feel isolated and lose their confidence, self worth and self esteem.

(P3)

Identifying the Holistic Linking of Communication Development

Communication development in a child is about the child’s ability to express them self. A child may point to a toy or a cup expressing their want for that particular item. A child interacting in a social environment may push or hug another child or person expressing their positive or negative emotion in the way of physical contact. In the way of emotional expression a child will either laugh or cry to show their feelings.

Through repetition, intellectually a child learns what to do or say to indicate their wants, needs .etc. a child will nod their head to answer yes, point to an object they desire or say “I want” whilst pointing to their favourite teddy.

(P4)

Activities Assisting in the Development of Communication

Story telling assists in the area of communication as the child develops their understanding of language skills. Expressions of emotions such as happiness, sadness and also words and their meanings such as associating the word “sun” with the idea of warmth, the word “tea” with the idea of food or hot drink. Another activity which assists in a child developing communication skills is role play. The child is encouraged to interact with others. If the child was in the role of a shop keeper then the child would be using their memory for the re-enactment a scene, recalling the products from memory and describing them, adding and subtracting monies, the child is conversing and learning etiquette when speaking to another.

(P5)

The T.A will gather the children, explain in an appropriate manor the guidelines of the activity and the rules of the activity area, such as the children should share the available resources, they should be polite amongst themselves. These rules will assist in the children’s social learning. The T.A will instruct the children not to run; this will assist the child intellectually as they are advised of consequence. Under constant supervision, the children will be learning through play.

Teaching assistant teaching methods

Questioning

During the activity the T.A can randomly ask questions to the children

Numeracy Learning Example

How many items, customers, colours, shapes, pennies etc are there?

Language Learning Example

What do you say when the shopkeeper assists or helps you, can you describe that for me please

(M1)

Role of a Teaching Assistant in Motivating To Ensure Children Stay On Task

What is motivation?

·         Motivation is encouragement for the children

·         Motivation prompts children to be inquisitive

·         Motivation is something to keep the children intrigued

·         Motivation is a way to keep the children feeling involved

·         Motivation is a way of staying on task if delivered appropriately

What	How	Why
Praise	Praise can be given to children using a number of methods. Praise can be given in the forms of verbal, gestures, body language .etc.	Children thrive on praise and if given appropriately, praised children can find self-motivation
Fun	Using fun activities keeps children motivated to remain on task. There are various was that learning can be made fun	Key words can encourage children’s listening skills. Whilst children are having fun, they are sub-consciously  listening and learning
Encouraging Delivery Techniques	A T.A can give encouragement to a child in many different ways, smiles, thumbs, clapping, relaxed body language and ways of speech .e.g. “that is fantastic, I am very impressed, well done”.	While using story time, key words can be used such as “stand up, sit down”, by keeping the children feeling involved they have the opportunity to learn as instructions are delivered in a strategic manor.

(P6)

How Does Role play Link to the National Curriculum

Role play Links to the National Curriculum in the Following Ways

The curriculum is important for children to follow. During role play the children will be learning various parts of the curriculum. In this first example the development of communication, language and etiquette skills will be learned. The children will be prompted to use their imaginations whilst they are conversing with others. They will be encouraged to describe the way in which they are playing and what they are using and why that particular choice. The children will also be learning maths during play as again questions will be given to the children. The children may be asked to count the materials or imaginary items they are using and from their answer a basic sum can be given to the child.

(P7)

Why teaching assistants should observe young children

It is important for a T.A to observe young children because the teacher has to help the children to reach certain academic targets of development. As part of a team the T.A must observe to find any child whom may be struggling and either advises the teacher of this observation so that if necessary a strategy can be put into place to give the child an equal opportunity to develop in the correct targeted stages. Observations can show the stages of changes in a child, it may be noticed that the child becomes frustrated or starts to isolate themselves from group activities. Upon these observations measures can be taken to find a source of the issue in question and hopefully a resolve.

(M2)

How the T.A Observations can support the teacher

1.       When a T.A reports the holistic development of a child, the teacher can take appropriate measures to provide necessary provisions to approach the Childs strengths and weaknesses.

2.       Observations of a Childs progression are important for the teacher to be aware of as any problems in the Childs development can be individually monitored.

3.       When teachers set a curriculum based activity, it is important for a T.A to observe and report to the teacher on whether the young children are meeting the targeted criteria.

4.       Observations can be relayed from a professional practitioner to a parent /carer to discuss any noticeable changes, such as progression of the Childs abilities or if there is any concerns about the young Childs learning.

5.       The child may be quiet instead of bubbly; this could possibly be to one of many reasons. The child may have misplaced their favourite toy, measures can be placed and strategies used to assist the child overcome their feeling of loss

6.        Observations of a Childs individual and practical needs are needed to assist in the Childs holistic development. If a child is struggling and this goes unnoticed, that area of development becomes met with restrictions.

(P8)

Children between the ages of 3-7 should be given opportunities to play

Children should be given the opportunity to be involved in social play as children learn from peers For example communication skills using verbal courtesy such as “please”, “thank you” also opportunities to learn group building skills. Physical play challenges children but can be made enjoyable in team games such as musical statues as it encourages body control and balance also they develop the understanding of fair play. During play a child develops intellectually, learning to link words into a sentence to make sense such as the cat sat on the mat. In communities play children advance in understanding of acceptable/unacceptable speech and etiquette , “please, thank you” as acceptable, “I want, I need” or demanding being not acceptable. In play activities a child develops linking, a child links emotions to words, children link happy to a smile and unhappy with a frown.

(P9)

How a teaching assistant could assist a child through a transition

A T.A may support a child through the transition of changing class, both directly and indirectly. Before the change of class is made the T.A will support the child directly by visiting the new venue alongside the child to familiarise them with the new surroundings. The T.A will actively take part in the new techniques of learning for the child and encourage them throughout with praise and possible reward. Indirectly the T.A will observe the Childs strengths and weaknesses and pass their observations to the teacher so that learning strategies can be used to assist in the Childs individual learning.

(D10)

Bibliography

Professor, Piaget.J, A practical guide to child development volume 1 “The Child”, 215, Stanley Thornes (Publishers) LTD, copyright 1987

Professor, Piaget.J, A practical guide to child development volume 1 “The Child”, 219, Stanley Thornes (Publishers) LTD, copyright 1987

(D1)

The roles and responsibilities of a teaching assistant

The roles and responsibilities of a teaching assistant can vary in many different ways and often it is not always the case that any two days will be the same, be this either in order of carrying out their duties, or during their practise with the teacher and learners. Just covering the surface of the expectations for a teaching assistant in the physical sense of responsibilities can involve the setting up of activities for the children such as renewing paints and setting out shape sponges on the easel, sharpening pencils, setting out toys in the sand box and water area, making sure a scientific area is organised (magnifying glasses, shapes, coloured sheets etc.), setting out the food preparation or laundry area, the list goes on. In the learning aspect, a teacher may have many pupils, it is therefore to an advantage having someone at hand that is also able to observe the children and become active on their observations if so required. This may mean spending one to one time with a child and possibly assist with their reading/writing skills, their coordination development if they have been observed to often loose grip of items (pass the parcel, handing the teacher a pen or receiving a colouring pencil from another child) etc. The teaching assistant may also be subject to carrying out responsibilities in group activities such as school plays and assemblies.  Just some of the many ways in which a T.A may be expected to make their observation reports accurate are as followed

·        Written narrative

A written narrative is a report that provides the exact speech and actions of a child and in the way or manor in which it was said or done.

·        Time sample

Using a time grid, a child can be monitored periodically, this could be to monitor their speech and when it was said, monitor their actions and find and explain the reason the child acted in this way such as a child wanting to go to sleep in class and the reason being that they went to sleep late the night before.

·        Event sample

A time and date stamped record will assist in keeping track of any repeated patterns in the forms of speech, actions and concentration levels and if there is a pattern to their way of routine and times they may occur.

·        On task off task sample

On, off task samples are used to measure a Childs concentration levels and how they keep to tasks they are given, if a child looses concentration on a regular occurrence then this could indicate a problem in their understanding capabilities.

Level 1 Training

Child physical development 0-12 month part 1

 

Child development 0-3 month	Month 0-1	Month 1-2	Month 2-3
Physical	The child’s eyes start to focus in on objects also in reaction to a sudden noise the child will freeze	The child will blink defensively when something comes towards them	The child around this age can turn from their side to their back
Social			The child can now open their hand to grasp a person’s finger
Learning	The child learns to cry in the event of a need also Can coordinate their fist to their mouth		The child shows an interest and enjoyment in a variety of music, rhyming and rhythmic sounds

 

Child physical development 0-12 month part 2

Child development 3-6 month	Month 3-4	Month 4-5	Month 5-6
Physical	The child can lift both their head and chest into prone position supported by their forearms also can move their head to follow various movements	The child can kick vigorously with their legs either alternately and occasionally together	When held in ventral suspension they can keep their head above the line of their body
Social	The child develops bonds with new characters by pulling of hair,  smelling different scents on new people	Often suck their lips in response to the sound of food preparation	The child has taken more interest in different feels and textures
Learning	The child has learned to watch their hands and play with their fingers	The child is learning to wave and coordinate both their hands into the clapping position
Role-play
Educational	The child shows first signs of communication by expressing themselves in coos and gurgles		The child is continuing to coo in a more dominative and distinguishable voice

Child physical development 0-12 month part 3

 

Child development 6-9 month	Month 6-7	Month 7-8	Month 8-9
Physical	From lying on their back they can roll onto their stomach.  Change the angle of their body to reach for an object and supported by only their hands and arms can now lift their head and chest from a stomach lying position.	By using their shoulders the child can pull themselves into a sitting position. When the child sits they can now do so with a straight back.	The child more often than not has become physically strong enough to bear their own weight. When held standing they can now also do with a straight back. When held on the floor the child will bounce their feet up and down.
Social	Are visually very alert and can follow a child or adult across the room with increasing alertness. The child can reach for and grab a small object or toy that is offered to them	The child at this age is usually able to pass and share a toy with another child or adult.
Learning	The child has learned to use their index finger to prod and poke objects. The child has learned that by holding up their arms indicates a need to be held by adults. By now the child has usually learned control and is able to kick their legs vigorously either alternatively or independently.	The child can now feed themselves using their fingers by what is commonly known as the pincer grip. The child can coordinate their hands to grasp a foot.	The child by now has usually learned the ability to use the whole hand to pass a toy or small object from one hand to another.
Role-play
Educational	The child explores small object by placing them in their mouth.
Cognitive learning	The child now turns towards most variants of a sound source that is at ear level	The child recognises when their name is being called.	The child is starting to learn the words and tones for most commonly used words such as “yes” and “no”

Child physical development 0-12 month part 4

 

Child development 9-12 month	Month 9-10	Month 10-11	Month 11-12
Physical	The child can maintain a sitting position with a straight back. The child is now able to turn their body sideways to either observe something or to stretch for an out of reach toy	Can sit unsupported for up to fifteen minuets. The child can stand when supported by furniture. The child may by now feel confident enough to take some steps whilst being held by both hands.	A child can now usually pull themselves up into a standing position but are unable to lower and tend to drop down with a bump.
Social
Learning	The child is also mastering the skill of travelling across the floor often by crawling on their stomach, wriggling or rolling	The child learns to coordinate both arms to move together during moments of excitement.	The child can attempt drinking from a cup but under supervision and with help
Role-play	From being able to crawl small children often like the game “cat and mouse” or chasing games at their level  ( on hands and knees )
Education		The child can recognise the names of certain parts of the body and point to them but can often still not yet say them, words such as “nose” “hands” “head” “toes” and possibly other words also.	The child responds to either his or her name being called and recognises other family member names also the child has started to say a few small words that can be plainly understood such as “mama mama” or “dadadadada”
Cognitive learning	At this age a child can often pick up toys using their ”index finger” and “thumb” (pincer grip) but cannot put the toy down voluntarily	The child has learned to manipulate toys and pass them from one hand to another. The child often enjoys pointing to a variety of items eager to learn.	The child by now has learned the sounds of many basic words, (mam, dad and other names) understands many tones, (yes, no, stop and go).

Conclusion

This is a guide timescale and not an exact

Upon doing various researches on children in the age category of 0-12 months, it has become clear that the first year, of a Childs life is when they will learn more than any other time in their life so therefore it is important. In the first 12 months the child will have physically grown, learned to crawl, learned to babble and say small recognisable words and also, possibly even learned to take the first steps by themselves, these are the main events that stick with people and are what the majority of new parents thrive on. During the first 12 months of an average Childs life I have used a break down to show the different stages of growth.  The child grows not only physically but emotionally, expressively, mentally (both in educational and cognitive learning), social learning, vocally (using different sounds and pitches) and also the very basic in role-play (little games that you play with your children).

Stereotypical play activities and why we should avoid them

There is an importance of avoiding stereotypical play when it comes to educating small children in play. Often it has been the fact that boys play with constructive and building toys and girls play with kitchens and dolls, the innocent game play of doctors and nurses leads the young boy to be in a state of inferiority as he would give the young girl (nurse) the instructions, the innocent play of families lets the young girl believe it is her responsibility to make the food in the play kitchen or to nurture the play child (doll). The young boy will be given more of an opportunity to be heard in his play activities such as banging the drum which can in turn let him believe he can be the loud and dominant one whereas the young girl will be encourage to sing nursery rhymes and lullabies. Many people still fail to see how this “innocent play” can lead to controversy in the individual child’s later life.

It is only now after much research that it is starting to be advised that teaching in the form of play should no longer be stereotypical because of the society we live in today. You can still look through many catalogues or look online and see many toys that are stereotypical in the ways of cars for boys and make-up for girls and that is a parents individual prerogative whether or not to purchase them toys, however in the world of childcare it has become a compulsory measure to introduce either sex to either play material. Girls are just as creative as boys when playing with blocks if they are given the same opportunities, boys are as creative as girls in the world of art when given the opportunity to spend as much time. Boys and girls can find rhythm in beating a drum or find harmony in singing a song.

Over the next few pages I will list some of the ideas that I have seen during research across the internet that I have sought to be a suitable way of approaching the topic of abolishing stereotypical play and giving equal opportunity to both genders at the start of their “education in play” as oppose to leaving it until the stereotypical way has formed.

    

Steps to avoid stereotypical play

Dramatic Play and Block Areas

Caregivers should analyse their dramatic play materials and block areas to see that they portray images that

Invite girls and boys to use equally and with consideration of their ableness. The materials, accessories,

Pictures, equipment and spatial organization should be wholesome with diversity.

The Dramatic Play area should encourage:

`

§ Cooking, eating objects, dress-up clothing, personal objects that reflect a variety of cultures.

§ Materials that are affiliated with the home influence of the children and other groups.

§ Accessibility of tools and equipment of special needs or even dolls and pictures represented of

Handicapping conditions.

§ Child-sized mirrors.

7

§ Designs to allow for gender role play; spaces for working in and out of the home setting with adequate

Tools and materials.

The Block Area should encourage:

§ Pictures that include roles in a variety of jobs.

§ Hats and accessories that are varied in presentation.

§ Accessibility of tools and equipment of special needs.

Manipulative

Caregivers will want to assure that children have available and array of diversity in manipulative. Puzzles,

Games, community helpers and family figure sets should depict diversity in race, culture ethnicity, gender,

Occupations and physical abilities. Stereotypic images of cowboys and Indians should be avoided which are

Available some education catalogues.

Dolls

As mentioned earlier, many early childhood classrooms may not have included black or multi-ethnic dolls.

Homemade and commercial dolls should represent a good balance of African-American, White, Asian, and Native

American, Pacific and Hispanic populations. All dolls should be reasonably authentic -looking to help children

acquire realistic images.

Music

Music in the classroom should reflect the various cultures of the children and staff as well as other groups in

The United States. Music in the classroom should present opportunities for dancing, movement, singing,

Background music and naptime music.

Selecting Materials

Now you have to make decisions about images on the walls of the classroom. Will you check to see that they

Are accurate and non-stereotypic? Of course children’s art should always take centre stage over manufactured

Art.

When selecting materials take precautions to:

§ Try not to make available only one picture or doll, or object or book about a particular group.

§ Be careful in substituting images and information about people in other countries-e.g. Vietnamese-

American children do not live the same culture as do children in Vietnam.

§ Only showing images of a group from the past, even though they may be easier to find than contemporary

Images, such as Native Americans portray biases. (i.e., not many Native Americans walk around in

Ceremonial dress and ride horses but use ceremonial dress for festivities and special occasions)

 

COGNITIVE LEARNING

Age 3-4

COGNITIVE LEARNING AND THE DIFFERENT ATTRIBUTES

. Behaviour

Sometimes, it doesn’t take much to turn your little angel into a little monster. At this age, your child is asserting their new found independence, trying to express them self with their ever expanding language skills, and learning to form relationships with friends. All of this can lead to some pretty unpleasant behaviour but, remember this is a natural stage in the Childs development.

. Development

Your child now has an increased use of verbal representation, however their speech is egocentric. This is the beginnings of symbolic language that the child converts to as opposed to simple motor play. Your child tries to express but often with either confused or conflicting reasoning.  Your child is able to think about something without the object being present and describe this object by use of language. Children of this age are often able to use their imaginary and also their memory skills. Your child should be conditioned to learning and memorizing in the form of games or creativity so they maintain interest in their cognitive learning. It is very common for a child of this age to view the world is in a very self-centred way as that is the way they understand it. Preschoolers of this age, such as your child, have usually also developed their social interaction skills, such as playing and cooperating with other children their own age. It is normal for preschoolers to test the limits of their cognitive abilities, and they learn negative concepts and actions, such as talking back to adults, lying, and bullying. Other cognitive development in your child is developing an increased attention span, learning to read, and developing structured routines, such as doing simple household chores.

 

This is only an estimated timeline guide of your Childs cognitive learning abilities

 

By the end of 3 years (36 months):

• Make mechanical toys work
• Matches an object in their hand or room to a picture in a book
• Plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
• Sorts objects by shape and colour
• Completes puzzles with three or four pieces
• Understands concept of "two"
• Use pronouns I, you, me correctly
• Is using some plurals and past tenses
• Knows at least three prepositions, usually in, on, under
• Knows chief parts of body and should be able to indicate these if not name
• Handles three word sentences easily
• Has in the neighbourhood of 900-1000 words
• About 90% of what child says should be intelligible
• Verbs begin to predominate
• Understands most simple questions dealing with his environment and activities
• Relates his experiences so that they can be followed with reason
• Able to reason out such questions as "what must you do when you are sleepy, hungry, cool, or thirsty?"
• Should be able to give his sex, name, age
• Should not be expected to answer all questions even though he understands what is expected

 

 

By the end of 4 years (48 months):

• Correctly names some colours
• Understand the concept of counting and may know a few numbers
• Tries to solve problems from a single point of view
• Begins to have a clearer sense of time
• Follows three-part commands
• Recalls parts of a story
• Understands the concepts of "same" and "different"
• Engages in fantasy play
• Knows names of familiar animals
• Can use at least four prepositions or can demonstrate his understanding of their meaning when given commands
• Names common objects in picture books or magazines
• Knows one or more colours
• Can repeat 4 digits when they are given slowly
• Can usually repeat words of four syllables
• Demonstrates understanding of over and under
• Has most vowels and diphthongs and the consonants p, b, m, w, n well established
• Often indulges in make-believe
• Extensive verbalization as he carries out activities
• Understands such concepts as longer, larger, when a contrast is presented
• Readily follows simple commands even thought the stimulus objects are not in sight
• Much repetition of words, phrases, syllables, and even sounds

Conclusion of your Childs targeted cognitive skills

Collectively acquired over the first 48 month of their precious little life

Listening and Sequencing: Follows simple directions. Listens to a short story. Listens attentively. Recognizes common sounds. Can repeat a sequence of sounds. Can repeat a sequence of numbers. Retells simple stories in sequence. Social-Emotional Development: Knows home phone number. Enters into casual conversation. Carries a plate of food. Maintains self-control. Gets along well with other children. Plays with other children. Recognizes authority. Shares with others. Talks easily. Meets visitors without shyness. Puts away toys. Able to stay on task. Able to work independently. Helps family with chores.

Identify Colours and Shapes: Recognize and name primary colours - red, yellow, blue, green, and white, black. Recognize and identify circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. Match objects based on shape. Copy a shape on paper. Understand Size: Big and little. Long and short. Match objects based on size. Social-Emotional Development: Can be away from parents or primary care givers for 2-3 hours without being upset. Takes care of toilet needs independently. Feels good about self. Cares for own belongings. Knows full name. Dresses self. Knows how to use handkerchief or tissue. Knows own sex. Brushes teeth. Crosses residential street safely. Knows parents' names. Knows home address

 

 

 

 

Position and Direction: Child should understand: up and down in and out Front and back. over, on, and under top, bottom, middle beside and next to Hot and cold. fast and slow full and empty day and night time - such as morning, noon, night knows age and birthday Can identify a calendar Motor Skills: Child is able to: run walk a straight line jump hop alternate feet walking down stairs march stand on one foot for 5-10 seconds walk backwards for five feet throw a ball paste objects clap hands matches simple objects touches fingers button a garment builds with blocks completes simple puzzles (5 pieces or less) draw and colour beyond a simple scribble zip a zipper control pencil and crayon well cut simple shapes with scissors (handles scissors well) copy simple shapes

Identify Numbers & Count: Recognize numbers from 1-10. Count to ten. Count objects in one-to-one correspondence. Understands more and less. Reading Readiness Concepts & Skills: Has been read to daily. Has own books. Looks at books and magazines. Uses left-to-right progression. Pretends to read. Understands that print carries a message. Recognizes some nursery rhymes. Looks at pictures and tells a story. Answers questions about a short story. Knows what a letter is and is familiar with the alphabet. Remembers objects from a given picture. Pronounces own first and last name. Identifies own first name in manuscript. Prints own first name. Identifies other children by name. Expresses self verbally. Can repeat a sentence of 6-8 words. Can complete an incomplete sentence with proper word. Tells the meaning of simple words. Identifies parts of the body. Identifies objects that have a functional use. Knows common farm and zoo animals.

 

Summery

0-5 years

Conclusion

The first 5 years of a Childs life are very important in a person’s development and packed with different learning attributes, all the way from the movement of their body to their vocals and language skills. Many children go from being reliant on adult figures to independently communicating and interacting with other children of their own age. The development of the child does require interaction at all stages of their first 5 years and also allowed to engage in various experiences.

Experiences that a child may engage in are role play, different surroundings, and different people, also different weathers as they eventually learn by the time they are “5” they should wear a hat to keep their head warm (this is just a simple account of the many available).

 

 

Engagement in Play

Through engagement in play, recreational and informal educational activities,

Children and young people can enjoy themselves, develop self-confidence

And self-esteem, learn to get on with others, and to value them as

Individuals. Learning through play is also crucial to younger children and

Those who are vulnerable or have complex needs.

Suitable Ways of Engaging In Play Activities with Children 0-5

Symbolic Play

Symbolic Play	Resources required	Role of the adult
Dressing up clothes	Hats, clothes, shoes, full-length mirrors, handheld mirrors, props. Appropriate hanging facilities. Boxes with clothes for different occasions, e.g. firemen, weddings, plays, pirates. Accessories: beads, gloves, handbags, cases, sunglasses.	To listen to the children’s play. To provide resources where appropriate, to suggest ways of adapting resources, to work with children in creating new resources.
Masks and puppets	Paper plates and materials for gluing, such as feathers, sequins, coloured paper, glue, spreaders, sticks for holding masks, paints for painting ‘blank’ masks. A variety of puppets – hand puppets, finger puppets. Paper bags for making puppets.	As above. To make up glue and paints. To provide props for using as puppet theatre. To support children who want to make props. Helping with resourcing of this. Helping with children’s enquiries. Leading children to resource books.
Small world, table top materials, play mat, outdoor equipment	Providing a range of materials such as Play Mobil, Lego, cars, mats, traffic lights, dolls, dolls houses, traffic cones, whistles, hoses.	Ensuring there is a wide range of materials and that they are changed frequently to reflect children’s current interests. For children with specific language needs or for whom English is not the mother tongue, small world resources provide good adult-child interaction and a vehicle from which to talk about words, concepts and everyday activities. It is also a useful activity for talking about positional words (prepositions) or instructions, e.g. ‘Can you put the lion in the cage.’ ‘Is the bike behind the tree?’ The adult needs to ensure the materials are in good condition and are cleaned regularly. Supporting children’s learning when they use these materials by asking appropriately open-ended questions. Making sure that, e.g. dolls clothes come in a variety of sizes and that this is obvious to the child. Organising the materials so that children easily locate them.
Props	‘Real materials’, e.g. stethoscopes, magnifying glasses, binoculars, telephones.	Sourcing materials. Keeping them in good order. Providing additional props as required by the play. Knowing when to intervene with additional props. Using every day experiences to explain and support children’s understanding, e.g. ‘A visit to the doctor’, ‘Ways of communicating’.

 

Books and language activities

Books and language activities	Resources required	Role of the adult in developing this
Songs, poetry and rhymes	You. You need to keep a repertoire of appropriate songs, rhymes and poems. Have good resource books in the centre to support this The knowledge of these.	The ability to engage with the child. The ability to get down to the child’s level or in the case of very young children to sit with the child when reciting or singing songs. Very young children learn best through repetition, so it is a good idea to repeat some songs, rhymes or poems on a regular basis. You can develop this by starting off a song or a rhyme and letting the child finish it. Do this by lowering your voice so that it doesn’t overwhelm the child.
Books and story telling	A range of books, fiction and non-fiction. Books that are well written and are at an appropriate level for the child. Avoid television spin-offs and ‘Disney’ type books. Go for Picture Lions, Puffins, and Walker Books, etc., for younger children. Make sure the books are in good condition. Provide tape recordings of the books that the children can listen to themselves. It will encourage independence. Use books and stories as a springboard for other activities, e.g. If ‘The Tiger who came to Tea’ is a favourite book, put out orange and black paint in the painting area, have a picture of a tiger and see if the children are encouraged to make their own pictures of the tiger. Put a tiger puppet or toy in the home corner. See if the children make tea for the tiger. For older children tales that have a choice of endings are often good ways of encouraging discussion in the children. See if there is potential to follow up stories e.g. is there scope for one group to ‘bury treasure’ and another group to make maps to help the children find the treasure. Reading for information.	Providing books, props, additional resources like tape recorders. This may enable children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy of choice. Providing age appropriate resources – board or materials books for younger children, interest books for topic development. Ensuring you are aware of stories before reading them to children. Reading clearly and using pictures as discussion points. Encouraging children to make their own books, especially older children.
Reading for information	Making name badges. Using recipe cards. Pictorial and written instructions sheets. Making newsletters Pointing out environmental print. Using maps plans and scale drawings with older children. Creating writing walls where children, particularly older children are encouraged to write up their feelings, news, suggestions, etc.	Set up a quiet area where the child can sit and read undisturbed. Support the child’s understanding of the written word by answering questions and sitting alongside the child where appropriate. Create fact-finding opportunities in the centre by using plans and maps with the children. Provide opportunities for the children to see their names written: e.g. by putting names on pegs, on finished work, having nametags to select from at snack time. Ensure adults spell names correctly. Work with the children to make up recipe cards. These can be drawn, by using computer graphics or by cutting out appropriate pictures from magazines. It will enable the child to see links and sequences. Talk and discuss environmental print with children on outings, e.g. looking for words like ‘bus stop’, looking for bus numbers. Playing ‘I Spy’ With older children use print to convey information and to set up dialogue, e.g. with other out-of-school clubs.
Story Sacks	A range of books, puppets, props, instructions, questions, comprehension exercises, suggested activities	Working with parents and others to create these. Where possible having ‘dual language story sacks’ for children for whom English is not their mother tongue. Making sure the resources in the sack match the contents. Ensuring that you work closely with parents and receive feedback about the successes or failures of the sack. Developing new resources in collaboration with others. Making sure the books are age appropriate.

Creative Play

Creative Play	Resources	Role of the adult
Paints	A variety of different types of paint e.g. finger-paints; squeeze paint, powder paint, textured paint, marble painting. Inks. A variety of different materials to use with the paint. Paint brushes of different sizes, long and short rollers, Chinese calligraphy brushes, sponges, scrapers. Different types of paper – paper rolls, coloured paper, thin paper, absorbent paper, thick paper, newspaper. Marbles and stones to roll on paint. Materials to paint on such as calico, gauze to paint through, large sheets to paint or write on. Containers for finger paints, decorators rollers, etc.	To understand how to make up a variety of different type of paint. To present children with opportunities to use different types of paint To make up paints with the help of children. To ensure the children are adequately covered when painting if appropriate. To provide warm water to wash up after painting. To make sure the child’s work can be identified. To provide areas for drying artwork. To provide larger areas for older children to have the freedom to make wall paintings or large collaborative friezes. To ensure all children who want to be included can be included. To provide support, including supported vocabulary for the child.
Music	Provide a range of music making resources including percussion, triangles, whistles, rain pipes. Provide facilities for improvised music making including tins, shakers, wind chimes. Provide music including classical music, world music, rock music, Scottish country-dance music to sing along to. Cardboard rolls, dried pulses, marbles, tins, lids including dustbin lids for ‘Steel bands’.	Place music making equipment in areas where children are improvising in their play e.g. dressing up areas. Be aware of different times of the year and when it might be more appropriate to include particular types of music. Relate music to other cultures and provide children with opportunities to create their own performances using music. Ensure there are mirrors available for the children to see what they are doing. Resource areas so that children can create their own instruments or music making devices. Ensure health and safety considerations are in place and adhered to. NB. Bear in mind considerations such as very young children potentially swallowing dried pulses, etc., but the need for older children to be imaginative and creative in their music making. You may need to resource steel bands, percussion bands, karaoke, etc.
Found materials	Provide a range of different shapes of boxes, cylinders, silver foil, and coloured cellophane. Provide feathers, buttons, material, wool, yoghurt pots and yoghurt drinks bottles. Provide pipe cleaners, raffia, wooden sticks, and any other suitable ‘found’ materials like driftwood, pebbles, etc. Provide scissors and where appropriate craft knives. Remember children who use their left hand. Try a variety of scissors such as pinking shears and scissors with pointed ends. Remember that children with motor difficulties may need a pair of scissors designed for their needs. Provide glue spreaders or ‘Pritt’. Make sure the adhesives you provide are suitable for the materials you are presenting the children and that they will actually stick. Provide materials like corrugated cardboard and coloured card.	Make sure the materials are presented in an attractive way. Ensure the table height is accessible for all children and make sure there are no obstructions to getting to the table. Consider ways in which you might need to respond to a child’s request and ensure you have all materials available in boxes which are carefully labelled. Work with the children to ensure that tables are cleared after use and that sticky patches are wiped up. Look out for children who are struggling and assist them to find a solution to the problems they are encountering. Make sure the child’s work is clearly labelled. For older children you may want to experiment with different materials and different ways of sticking materials together, e.g. heat guns. Older children may want to resource these materials and you may need to support their efforts to do this.

Discovery Play

Discovery Play	Resources required	Role of the adult
Sand and Water	Sand, water, containers for holding these. It might be as large as a sand pit or as small as a tub to hold a small amount of either. Materials which can be added to, e.g. wheels, various sized containers, small, plastic animals (e.g. dinosaurs) water can be added to the sand to make it wet, soap can be added to water to make it bubbly. Food colour can be added to the water occasionally. Drainpipes can be added to the sand or to the water play. Moulds, traction vehicles, magnifying glasses, ‘bug boxes’ to view the sand.	To ensure the area is kept clean and well organised. To assess how the children are playing and to add or take away items accordingly. So an example of this might be if children were interested in seeing how the sand flowed through the ‘wheel’ you might add drainpipes of different dimensions the following day. You might then add a little water to the sand to see if the sand still flowed the same way. Resourcing the needs of the particular ‘discovery’ play will be done after close observation and discussion with other team members. Encouraging children to use language which describes what they are doing including the language of mathematics e.g. heavier than, lighter than, etc. This play may be strongly linked to symbolic play if children are ‘pretending’ e.g. ‘to be bricklayers’, etc.
Washing up	Provide bowls, water or let the children pour the water into the bowl as they add washing up liquid. Discuss how the water becomes bubbly. Provide washing up cloths or mops. Provide some materials to be washed up such as plates from the snack table. Look at them before washing up and after.	The adult’s role is to provide the scope for children to discover what happens when two materials, in this case water and washing up liquid blend. Provide further opportunities for the children to talk about and to describe the results. Be aware of trying to support the child’s independence by leaving as much to the child as possible while being aware of any health and safety implications.
Model making	Boxes, cartons, glue, adhesives, craft knives/scissors or in the case of blocks, blocks of a sufficient size and quantity to allow children to experiment with building.	Be on hand to provide additional resources if required, to enable sharing of materials if appropriate, of the need to step in if necessary and show how something might be done, but without doing it for the child. An example might be if the child was trying to stick a cylindrical end face to a box but it kept falling down the adult may want to show the child a device for getting it to stick (cutting and bending the base so that the surface area is bigger).
Treasure baskets	Sturdy boxes, wooden plastic, shoe boxes or bags like shoe bags, materials to go inside boxes, etc. This can range from tactile materials, i.e. materials that have a different feel velvet, jute, silk, cotton, wool, calico. ‘Precious materials’ such as shells, small stones, coloured glass, beads materials that make a noise, e.g. rattles, small rain pipes, wind chimes, mirrors. Most suited to children who are very young and best done on a one-to-one basis? Also suited to children who need some additional emotional support and who may have some language difficulties	Making the child feel comfortable. Encouraging the child to explore the basket. Providing vocabulary enrichment for the child. Supporting the child’s curiosity. Ensuring the materials is kept in good condition. Ensuring there is a sufficient variety to keep the child engaged and curious.

Vigorous Play

Vigorous Play	Resources required	Role of the adult
Running, jumping skipping, dancing	A large enough area to accommodate the children’s chosen activity or exercise.	To create space, to ensure children are given scope to develop skills and resilience. To ensure health and safety has been considered. To provide the child with reassurance where required. To make sure all children are safe.
Climbing frame	Climbing frame, large mat or appropriate surface beneath the mat.	To ensure children are appropriately challenged. To reassure children. To ensure all health and safety requirements are understood. To provide encouragement, to ensure fair play. To facilitate sharing if appropriate.
Ball games	Balls (variety of sizes), bats, hoops, basketball nets, football nets.	As above.

Play with technology

Play with technology	Resources	Role of the adult
Cooking	Scales, mixers (electric and hand-held), tins and trays. Baby Belling or other cooker (eg. microwave). Cooking materials and recipe cards. Instructions sheets for technology.	Make explanatory leaflets (older children can do this for themselves) or photocopy clearly written instructions. Ensure all health and safety factors have been considered, balancing the potential risk against the potential benefit to the child’s independence. (NB. Do not take unnecessary risks with children’s safety). Be aware of the policy of the organisation covering risk assessment. Support the child in using technology where appropriate. Discuss. Offer guidance if and where required. Use technical language with children. Try to establish useful links between home and centre. Support sharing of equipment and of resources where appropriate.
Taking photographs	Digital cameras, cameras, video recording equipment Wall space to mount photographs, laminating facilities.	Ensure permission is sought from parents before embarking on this if any images of children are to be taken. Be aware of any policy over using images in the centre. Be clear about the purpose of taking photographs. If images are of eg. places and things of interest in the environment no permission will be required. Use images to make books, to create collage, to use in newsletters to discuss with children how the image can be transferred digitally or through processing. Support the child in using the technology if required. Use photographs to help enhance the child’s knowledge of technical language; use as a focus for everyday conversations, links to home and community discussion about self. Extend learning by taking a stepped approach to taking photographs, viewing, selecting and printing.

 

Play with Games

Games	Resources	Role of the adult
Table top games	Jigsaws, insert boards, board games, e.g. ‘Insey Winsey Spider’. ‘Tangrams’ Poleidoblocs, Cards, such as matching cards.	Selecting appropriate games for the age of the child: so fewer and thicker jigsaw pieces for younger children including floor puzzles, more complex puzzles for older children. Ensure all pieces are in puzzle. Set up areas to attract children to them. Ensure materials are culturally sensitive. Sit with the children were required to show how the game is played, e.g. taking turns, the way you are ‘going round the table’ being consistent – is it sometimes clockwise and sometimes anti-clockwise? Discuss with colleagues to ensure consistency. Explain rules, describe and discuss where appropriate. Ensure the game is not too difficult for the age range of child and that the expectation, e.g. a 2-year-old sitting for fifteen minutes is developmentally inappropriate.
Circle time	Space, resource books such as poetry, song books, instruments where necessary, a range of songs, rhymes, games.	Be clear about the purpose, ensure the noise level is appropriate to all the children hearing you, and ensure all children are able to join in so think of ways that children with mobility difficulties or with hearing or visual difficulties might access the time. Be well prepared and know the songs and rhymes before circle time. Ensure children understand any rules and guide children who don’t know gently.

EXTENDED ADVICE

Sometimes, despite the back flips and cartwheels we attempt, kids just don't seem terribly interested in our attempts at engaging them in play.

Before stepping up your efforts to even more outrageous antics, make sure that all of your child's basic needs are met. As adults, we know that if we are hungry or tired, we are not usually in the mood to play either. If your child seems to be well rested, well fed, and have a clean diaper, here are some strategies to attempt:

• Change the type of play. If you'd been trying to engage in rough and tumble play, switch to quiet activities like books, puzzles, or blocks.
• If quiet activities aren't doing the trick, try motor games like airplane flying, climbing on sofa cushions, or jumping jacks.
• Engage in play that requires reciprocal interaction, like rolling a ball back and forth or building a tower of blocks for your child to then knock over.
• Deliberately establish eye contact and wait for reciprocation before initiating interactions.
• Model the appropriate way to play with a particular toy while commenting on your actions. (I put the circle in the hole. In. Your turn!)
• Use hand-over-hand assistance to help your child use a toy appropriately.
• Follow your child's lead and then build on what he or she shows interest in. For example, if your child is only interested in lining his or her cars up, line them up first and then model pushing a car along a road.
• Eliminate distractions from the environment. Some children become over-stimulated very easily. If there is a lot of noise or overly stimulating activity happening in the environment, your child may not be able to focus on what you're presenting.
• Start with just one or two simple items, and as your child is able to tolerate those, gradually add more.

Your child's temperament plays a large role in how he or she responds to play initiations. Some kids will always prefer to sit back and watch rather than be in the middle of the excitement.

References

http://www.earlyinterventionsupport.com/parentingtips/habits/engagingplay.aspx

http://www.scotlandscolleges.ac.uk/component/.../task,doc_download/

Suitable Ways of Engaging In Play Activities with Children 5-8

Why creative play is important for school age children

School children start to learn that some problems have a single solution (two plus two always equals four). They also develop skills for finding the right result for a given problem. But there are still many areas where things are not so black and white.

Creative play helps with learning and development, by letting children engage in problem-solving where there are no set or ‘right’ answers. With creative activity, the process is more important than the product.

By school age, a child is ready to soak up lots of new information. In the months leading up to the start of school, A child will ask more questions about how things work – and there’ll be lots of ‘Why?’ questions, of course!
School-age children are usually more confident about themselves and around others than they were a year or so earlier – a good thing when it comes to creative pursuits. Most school-age children take a keen interest in art and artistic activities. It is beneficial to encourage creative play and imaginative development by stimulating a child’s creative urges.

Drama: what school-age children are doing

School-age children can usually make things up as they go along. They often use role play and storytelling to solve problems. For example, when younger, your child might have expected to hear particular endings to favourite stories. Now a child might start changing things and coming up with new endings.

School-age children can usually play with simple props such as hats, shoes, cooking utensils, sticks, and so on. They make up and act out stories based around these props. School-age children might also act out the lyrics of songs as they sing them or listen to a CD.

Visual art: what school-age children are doing

School-age children might use colours and shapes to communicate feelings, ideas and messages (for example using lots of black to draw a dark scene or scary feelings). They might also use symbols to differentiate between objects in their drawings. It can be pretty easy to work out children’s interests when observing what they create. Children will enjoy creating pictures on the same theme (dinosaurs or boats, say) over and over again. As the child develops their drawings and paintings become more detailed than when the child was a pre-schooler. For example, the child might be drawing people with five fingers and toes. Where a child used to draw scribbles and squiggles for trees and flowers, an adult will now be able to recognise leaves, branches, trunks and petals.

School children are ready for ‘art appreciation’ – whether it’s music, sculpting or pictures. A child can talk about art, artists, favourite artworks and reasons for liking certain things as is explained on the following page.

Music: what school-age children are doing

School-age children might experiment with using musical sounds to explore their feelings. Often the children can talk about how music makes them feel. They might also enjoy using music to tell stories. For example, school-age children often enjoy the classical music piece ‘Peter and the Wolf’. This piece uses the sound of an oboe to represent a duck, a flute for a bird, and so on. In a similar way, school-age children might enjoy using sounds to represent characters and events in other stories.
School-age children might make their own musical instruments from everyday objects. They can use these to play songs and make up their own music. They can start using musical symbols and notes to help them remember how to play a particular piece of music.

Dance: what school age children are doing

School-age children often enjoy moving creatively in response to the lyrics of the songs they sing.
The way they move their bodies in response to music becomes more expressive. They can move more in time with the music. They can react to contrasts in the sounds they hear.
School-age children might also start making up dance sequences with their friends to popular music or songs.

Four stages of creativity

When children begin playing creatively, they go through a thought process with four basic stages:

1. Preparation: children collect information about a topic or idea and think about what they want to do. For example, a child decides to make a mother’s day card. So he/she looks at other cards, and looks to see what materials she/he can use.
2. Incubation: children mull over the problem, subconsciously or by thinking some more (about what he/she might do with the mother’s day card).
3. Illumination: the ‘aha’ moment, where children carry through, and the creative processes all come together. For example, a child decides that she/he will cut out pictures from magazines to stick on the card, and draw a love heart.
4. Verification: after the initial excitement passes, the result or product is examined and thought about. For example, the child hides the finished card so the mother can’t see it until mother’s day. But however gets it out every now and then to have a look.

As a child grows into the school years, the nature of play changes and matures. The child will still engage in lots of dramatic and creative play, but it will be more complex and elaborate than before. It is advisable to offer the child a play space to encourage more elaborate imaginary story crafting.

As a child’s world widens to include school and the neighbourhood, the dramatic play will broaden to include play involving recreation and relaxation, similar to adult play. That’s why it is important that toy choices include sports equipment and group participation games that involve physical skills and that encourage social interaction.

A 5-8 year-old child

Eventually the child’s dramatic play gives way to a desire for thinking toys and activities such as puzzles, math games, logic games, board games, card games, books, and music that help children imagine and visualize (paint mental pictures). As a child begins to master simple academic skills - reading, writing, computation, telling time, and measurement skills – they will apply these skills and concepts to the games they may play with. It is important to try interacting with the child through crafts, games and construction activities that have a clear beginning, middle and ending. That way, your child can learn planning and execution skills that build self-confidence for a lifetime of playful learning.

We should remember to respect and encourage the provision of recreational and leisure activities that are appropriate for 5—12 year olds. We should also be able to give and let each child participate freely and fully in engaging activates. If we have knowledge and understanding of the different stages that children are moving through as they grow and develop, then our expectations will change to match their development.

From the ages of 5-8, children become aware of the physical and hormonal changes that are occurring and may become self-conscious. They have established friendship groups, but these can be volatile and they have definite roles within their peer group. Most are fascinated by collections, enjoy planning and like being involved in long term projects. Children also enjoy taking risks and are developing separate identities to parents and other authority figures.

Important things to remember about a child’s engagement in play and provisions they may need in their activities

• The need for a balance of active play zones to release energy on arrival and quite areas to recharge when needed?

• cooperative games rather than competitive ones will be more valuable towards a child’s learning or ensuring open ended experiences that concentrate on process rather than an outcome

• encourage children’s interests in pop culture, encourage the importance of a child’s need and thirst for knowledge to the child, probe interest and inquisitiveness in the child and keep encouraging and applauding their individual abilities, and to ensure that a child’s rights, ideas and actions are respected and acknowledged.

It is important that children can develop a sense of security when engaging in their play.

• Taking experiences that usually happen inside to the outdoors? Art, for example, can be easily transported by moving the easels or clay under the trees and letting nature provide the inspiration.

• Having an indoor—outdoor opportunity where children are free to move between the two? This allows for choice and ensures children are engaging in experiences that excite them.

Are there opportunities to be creative, comfortable and social?

Children should be able to walk into a room and feel as if they want to be there. Think of a room that you like to be in—maybe your favourite room in your own house. What is it about the room that makes you feel welcome and relaxed? Is it colour, use of space, soft furnishings, natural lighting or the lack of clutter?

Now think of a room you don’t like being in. More than likely when you are in this room you feel the need to tidy it, give it a fresh coat of paint, take some furniture out of it, dim the lighting and throw away broken toys and mismatched bits and pieces.

How is the lighting? The environment, by the child, should be looked on as the third teacher. It should be inspiring and encourage learning through exploration and innovation.  If it is inspiring and creative then it will do its job.

A good way of allowing children to engage in play

Give children ownership of the environment, and ask them what they like and don’t like about it. Acknowledge, respect and consider all children’s ideas, and work together to create the environment such responsibility may bring with it a sense of belonging and respect.

• Children will engage more comfortably in play if the environment is safe, both indoors and outdoors from the child’s perspective. For example it may be an area where children can have quiet and relaxation time with cushions, mats, couches and soft furnishings. There is the importance of sitting with the children and role-modelling which will encourage the child to engage in play as well as being able to feel safe.

Things to remember

Children will automatically flock to an adult or a peer who is sitting at an activity, already engaged. Conversations may strike up, the adult is role modelling and friendships are made amongst the engaged and engaging children this will also allow the chance of discussions and negotiation skills.

·         5 year olds are still willing and eager to learn and to please they are happy to just “fit in”.

·         6 and 7 year olds can be bossy and demanding. They begin to have an understanding of rules and want to add some of their own. They begin to take life a bit more seriously and worry about things more.

·         8 year olds are enthusiastic and outgoing; they begin to be more independent and therefore rebellious. They develop an understanding of other people’s point of view. They have developed a preference for certain subjects. They begin to show a preference for playing with children who are the same sex as them and stereotyping those of the opposite sex.

Quotations

“You are worried about seeing the child Spend their early years in doing Nothing. What! Is it nothing to be Happy? Nothing to skip, play, and Run around all day long? Never in Their life will they be so busy again.” - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile (1762)

“Play is so important to optimal Child development that it has been Recognised by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights As a right of every child.” - Kenneth Ginsburg

Inclusive Play & Materials

Outdoor

It is the right of every child to be provided with the opportunity to play in their own unique manner. Play enables children to use and extend the experiences they have to build up ideas, concepts and skills. While playing, children can express fears and re-live anxious experiences. Play scenarios also give children the chance to control their environment. They can try things out, solve problems and be creative, take risks and use trial and error to find things out. Children should all be able to access and engage with the play experience their setting offers them. Children will choose how to use the materials on offer and for how long.

It is important that there are differentiated toys and materials so that children of various abilities can take part, it is important to build on what the child already does and knows when designing an inclusive play experience.

Children's development and learning

Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. A range of play activities will help children to make progress in each of the key areas of learning and development

:

 Personal, social and emotional development.

 Communication, language and literacy.

 Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy.

 Knowledge and understanding of the world.

 Physical development.

 Creative development.

Out of the comfort zone

If children are to develop an appreciation of things other than those which they already know, they will need to gradually come out of their comfort zones. Children are likely to become more accepting in their attitudes towards others when group activities promote awareness and encourage interaction.

Possibly arranging a home corner so it has a range of cooking instruments and ornamental decorations from a variety of cultures will not only make those children who can identify these items with home feel comfortable - it will broaden the horizons of children who have never seen them before, helping them realise that all homes are not the same as their own.

Guidelines for an Outdoor Play Environment

1. Provide appropriate surfacing and site design for physical access into and throughout the play environment so children can actively engage in social and physical play activities.
2. Offer equitable opportunities for everyone to participate in a variety of developmentally appropriate forms of play.
3. Promote an atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance by providing integrated activities throughout the play environment that encourage exploration, problem solving and discovery.
4. Organize the play environment to provide various types (physical, social, sensorimotor, constructive, etc.) and forms (autonomous, parallel, cooperative, etc.) of play so there is something fun for everyone.
5. Provide a balanced variety and a continuum of developmentally appropriate physical and social activities, throughout the play environment, which are dynamic and accommodate individuals’ diverse abilities.
6. Provide choices in method of participation. Provide meaningful opportunities for inclusive, multigenerational play.
7. Design the play environment with a variety of multi-sensory features that are organized to provide meaningful cues
8. Provide intentional multi-sensory (auditory, visual, tactile) stimuli through a variety of play activities.
9. Offer opportunities for children of all abilities to access and engage in the play environment as independently as possible.
10. Provide safer play activities and environments, through graduated levels of challenge that allow children to explore, interact, and experience developmentally appropriate risk.
11. Support children’s emotional feelings of security so they are more likely to engage in play.
12. Allow individuals to maintain neutral body position so they can actively sustain their engagement in physical and social play.
13. Include play activities that require reasonable operating forces and integrate alternatives to sustained physical effort or repetitive actions.
14 Provide for a range of developmental opportunities for challenge to accommodate children’s diverse physical characteristics.
15. Offer balanced opportunities for social play throughout the play environment, by providing a variety of play activities at the ground level.
16. Provide play activities with comfortable approach and reach for a seated or standing child.
17. Accommodate variations in gross and fine motor control for manipulation of play activities.
18. Provide comfortable space for movement throughout the play environment for individuals with assistive devices and/or personal assistance.
19. Provide a range of environmental conditions, like shade, to accommodate children’s diverse comfort characteristics.

Example

The playground is, by far, one of the most important settings for child development. It is one of the few environments where a child has the freedom to run and jump, climb, swing and leap, yell, reign, conjure, create, dream or meditate. In this complicated world that we live in, the playground is a safe and common place for children to come together, to discover the value of play, to learn about each other, to recognize their similarities and differences, to meet physical and social challenges, to leave comfort zones and evolve into the little young people they are meant to be. It is learning towards some of life’s lessons, from challenge and risk to conflict resolution and cooperation.

Regardless of ability or disability, children benefit physically, developmentally, emotionally and socially from the playground environment.

 

Inclusive Play & Materials

Planning for Indoor Inclusive Play

1. Observation of the individual child

2. Observation and adaptation of the physical environment

3. Observation and adaptation of the social environment

4. Observation and adaptation of the temporal environment

 

Indoor

Unlike outdoor playgrounds, indoor play environments are made up of playthings that are larger than toys and smaller than playground equipment. These playthings, due to their focus on able-bodied children, are vastly underutilized as tools for social education. In the absence of inclusive playthings, children with disabilities are unable to fully participate in play which can lead to developmental delays. Known as Inclusive Indoor Play.

Using one thing to represent another

Through pretend play, children learn to use their imaginations to represent objects, people, and ideas.
What you see:

• A toddler flaps her arms, pretending to be a butterfly
• Another picks up a banana, holds it to his ear like a telephone, and says, “Hello.”
• A pre-schooler builds a firehouse with blocks.

Using language and telling stories

Through pretend play, children develop their skills in using language and in telling and understanding stories.
What you see:

• Children act out scenes in the housekeeping corner
• A child makes her stuffed animal “talk,” telling a story

Using experimentation and logic

When children play with materials such as blocks, clay, sand, and water, they develop skills in logic. They experiment with cause and effect, with counting and sorting things and solving problems.
What you see:

• Children experiment with blocks to figure out how to build a stable structure
• Children count the number of cups needed for a “tea party”
• Children pour sand into different sized containers.

Guidelines for an Indoor Play Environment

1	Durability	Long lasting and constant use by all children
2	Safety	Be safe for all children, even when children abuse of misuse them.
3	Interesting to children	Must fit the interest and developmental goals of the children
4	Playability	Must have multiple play options so they could be played with in a variety of ways.
5	Provides tactile, visual and auditory stimulation	Must to be multimodal.
6	Inclusive	Must be for all children, with and without disabilities.
7	Ease of use	Usability and self-reliance when playing with playthings.
8	Flexible	Be usable in a variety of ways and provide different play outcomes.

Play Activities & Suggested Materials to Assist With Child Development

Play is natural for young ones. Children from all around the world and from all cultures engage in play and always have. When at play, children are busy and enjoy themselves. Play is really helping your child develop. Play is essential to a child's healthy growth and development. It is the basis for the skills your child will develop and use later in life. Play is how children learn: they learn about and understand the world around them and how they fit into it.

Young Children Learn by Doing

Children learn by moving, touching, tasting, seeing, smelling, and hearing. Infants don't necessarily "play" in terms of the way we think of play until they are able to walk and move freely. But, they do learn by interacting with parents and others. Infants learn language by listening to it and having it spoken to them.

As toddlers are able to crawl and walk, they begin to explore their environment and start to "play". Pre-schoolers’ play becomes a way of imitating real life experiences and practicing social skills as they begin to play with other children. From school-age and onwards, play takes on the form of more formal games (games with rules and competitive games) and can become an important way of to meet and make friends.

Types of Play

There are many different ways to look at play. You can look at how children play at various ages, the different forms of play, or what is being learned in various play activities. You can also look at play developmentally and how it impacts children in terms of their social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. Play is an important part of this development.

Supporting Play

Materials and toys do not need to be expensive as children will be happy with books, crayons, pens, pencils, paper, blocks or other building toys, music, and the opportunity to play outdoors and with other children. Physical activity and play: running, jumping, riding bikes, skating, tag, are all play activities that are fun for children and help them develop physically, spiritually, cognitively etc.

The Following Table Provides These Examples

Age Group	Type of Activity	What's Being Learned
Infants	Play and Interaction with Others	Peek a boo and other interactive games: Children learn "object permanence" - that objects do not mysteriously disappear into thin air just because they cannot be seen Back and forth interaction: Children, adults making sounds, imitating baby, singing, talking back and forth, is amusing for babies They learn language and the give and take of being social
	Play with Objects (rattles, mouthing toys, toys that make noise)	Children learn that their actions get a response - shaking, squeezing, tapping objects can produce sound or make objects move (cause and effect)
Toddlers	Finger-play and singing games ("Incy Wincey Spider"; "Five Fat Sausages")	Children learn rhythm, counting, and eye-hand coordination. These types of games also teach cultural norms and childhood songs and games many young children usually know by the time they are in preschool or kindergarten
Pre-schoolers	Blocks	Block play teaches many math concepts and skills such as: counting, length, height, patterns, symmetry.
	Manipulative Toys	Materials such as Play-Doh, threading beads, and stacking and nesting toys help children with their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
	Sand and Water Play	While being fun and soothing to the touch, sand and water play teaches math skills such as measurement and helps children practice pouring skills.
	Puzzles	Puzzles help children with abstract thinking skills and visualizing space and how shapes fit together.
	Dramatic Play	Older children love to pretend they are heroes, parents, or other adults doing "grown-up" things. Dramatic play helps children with their language skills, and can be a creative outlet. Children can practice life skills like grocery shopping or having a party. It's a good way for children to learn to cooperate with others as well.
School-Age	Group games	Children engage in more group play, which is usually more structured and may have rules. These are team games such as football, baseball, or less organized games such as hide-and-seek, tag, and kick ball. Children this age also like board games with rules. These games allow children to develop independence, yet learn cooperation with others and to be part of a group.
	Dramatic Play	School-age children also engage in dramatic play or fantasy play. Still pretending and acting out real life or "fantasy" play, dramatic or pretend play gives children a chance to be creative and interact with other children.

Play experiences and suitable play materials

Adult interaction is one of the most important contributes to a Childs cognitive learning and development. In the table below you will be able to see the many different cognitive skills that can be developed. These are some of the many “every day” things that we do with our children. In this area of development we are going to use a few simple activities whereby an adult interaction takes place, activities that are often repeated as a parental routine but is also important in a Childs cognitive learning because of the amount of different attributes it shares.

Play experiences and suitable play materials

0-6 month

Adult Interaction

Familiar	Safe	Physical	Bonding	Learning
From the first days of a baby’s life, they begin to familiarise themselves with many different things to make scenes of the world and their surroundings. Below is a list of but a few of the many things a baby will familiarise themselves with. ·          Washing powder ·          Detergents ·          Air fresheners ·          Perfumes and deodorants ·         The baby will also recognise which room of the home they are in by the distinguished smells of each room	A child builds up a bond with a person in order to feel safe. In the examples below you will learn in how many different ways adult interaction can make the baby feel safe. ·          Facial expressions ·          The way in which the baby is held ·          The way that a person sings or talks to the baby	Adult interaction is important to contributing in a baby’s physical development. As absurd as it may sound, a baby’s physical development can be improved without the adult having to interact physically. ·          When the baby is laid on a play gym, upon hearing voices they try to look in the direction of the sound whether it be moving just their eyes or turning their head ·          Just by holding a baby, often the baby will try to get into a comfortable position, this encourages the baby to move the arms, legs and head to do so	Bonding with a baby can invoke the understanding of emotions par say. In the list below I will give different ways that bonding in the first months of a baby’s life are important. ·          Holding a baby will make the baby feel safe ·          Talking and singing to a baby will relax or sooth him or her ·          Laughing and smiling will encourage a baby to laugh or smile back ·          Pointing at objects and saying what they are will help them learn even though they cannot speak the words These are just some of the bonding ideas that can be used but there are many different ways that an adult can interact and bond with a baby.	A baby even though only as young as 0-6 month can learn so much on a continuous basis without many of us being aware of this. In the list below I will provide a few examples of the things that a baby can learn during adult interaction. ·          Facial expressions ·          Words and sounds ·          Names and faces ·          Recognition of many persons and household smells ·          Recognition of voice

 

Play experiences and suitable play materials

0-6 month

In The Home

Routine

In this section I will explain how invoking routine into a baby’s life is important, as just by doing this the baby is being educated in many different ways. A baby’s mind is like a sponge, constantly absorbing information that we teach, often many overlook or do not realise this fact. It has though, been proven that just because a person cannot speak, does not mean to say that they do not learn. One of the best ways to describe what I am explaining would be in the form of a commonly played game “charades” The person may not speak yet they can still interact in their own way. They candescribe in their own way to someone to somehow make senseto an observer also when that person becomes an observer themselves they can learn to understand by the routine of actions of the descriptor.

Familiar words	Bath Time	Bed Time	Feeding Time	Play Time
·          Familiar names	Bath, towel, soap, water, hot, cold, warm	Bed, cover, cot, light	Cup, spoon, bowl, hot, cold	Fun, happy, smile, “toy”
·          Familiar sounds	Running water	Story, nursery rhyme or lullaby	Preparation of food, shuffling of cutlery,	Voice, jingling activities such as bells or shakers on a activity gym
·          Familiar textures	Towel	Clothing	Teat/Bottle	Carpet, play mat, cuddly toys
·          Familiar objects	sponge	Bedroom furniture	Chair, table	Ball, car, teds,
·          Familiar smells	Lotion, soap, shampoo	bedding	Various foods	Fire, radiators, scent of interacting person

Play experiences and suitable play materials

0-6 month

In The Home

Activity gym

Activity gyms have much to offer to children from 0-6 months of age. As standard activity gyms have incorporated many developmental stage activities, these activities tend to include different textures, sounds, colours and shapes. These techniques are used to encourage the baby’s inquisitive nature to explore and learn in their surroundings by sound and touch. In the table below I will describe how something cost efficient and simple can be so valuable in a baby’s developmental growth.

Sounds	Colours/lights	Shapes	Textures
·          Rattles ·          Bells ·          Rustling ·          Chimes ·          Touch sensitive pads	·          Red ·          Yellow ·          Light blue ·          Light green ·          purple	·          Round ·          Square ·          Rectangular ·          Overhead arch ·          Overhead cross	·          Firm surface ·          Rough surface ·          Smooth surface ·          Soft surface ·          Movable surface ·          Stationary surface

 

Play experiences and suitable play materials

6-12 month

Adult interaction is one of the most important contributes to a Childs cognitive learning and development. In the table below you will be able to see the many different cognitive skills that can be developed. These are some of the many “every day” things that we do with our children. In this area of development we are going to use a few simple activities whereby an adult interaction takes place, activities that are often repeated as a parental routine but is also important in a Childs cognitive learning because of the amount of different attributes it shares.

Bath Time

Communication	Sensation	Scents	Routine	Interaction	Bonding
Singing rhyme helps the child to pick up familiar words and descriptions, such as the rhyme “five little ducks” ·         FIVE ·         LITTLE ·         DUCKS ·         SWIMMING ·         OVER ·         HILL ·         FAR ·         AWAY Also the child starts to slowly learn the actions to the song; this is part of the Childs memory retainment. It is also not uncommon for parents to tell their child “short stories” when in the bath,	The child will discover many sensations whilst having a bath. The child will understand “hot” and “cold” also the different feels of textures such as the “face cloth” or the sponge, the sensation of trickling water upon the body, for example when washing the Childs hair water will trickle down the Childs spine.	The different scents that a child picks up will help either “him or her” to distinguish their home. There are many different scents a child will pick up such as ·         Shampoo ·         Soap ·         Talk ·         Baby lotions ·         Parents perfume or deodorant ·         The smell of fabric conditioner softeners Most of the scents are everyday scents we use, but it is not every day that we realise how important these scents are in the learning development.	During routine a child begins to develop a rate of understanding. The child will pick up many familiar words, often without us realising we are teaching them this. ·         Bath time ·         Water ·         Hot ·         Cold ·         Soap ·         Body parts i.e. Arms, legs, hands, face etc. ·         Sponge ·         Cloth ·         Towel ·         Warm And depending upon the parents communication contributions, many, many more	Parent and child interaction is extremely important at this age, it is as important as any other time of the Childs life, as it is now when the child is absorbing the most information he or she will ever absorb. When a parent or adult interacts with a child, this is the time when the Childs cognitive skills can improve dramatically through communication.	The bonding times begins when you first pick up the child and tell the child “bath time”. The child bonds in the bath simply whilst you are bathing, supporting and talking to him or her. The biggest bonding time is when you wrap the child and hold him or her up to your shoulder as often the child will snuggle in and feel a sense of security and safety.

Play experiences and suitable play materials

6-12 month

Small World Toys

Coloured Wooden Blocks

Small and simple, but important and effective to your Childs cognitive developmental skills, are things such as, small coloured wooden blocks.  As plain as they may look to us as adults, they can provide hours of fun for your child, but, at the same time be educational in many ways. Below you will find on the table the different ways that small wooden blocks can be challenging to a child physically and cognitively and how they can provide learning for your child when under supervision.

Physical

Cognitive

·         Dexterity ·         Hand, eye coordination ·         Palmer grasp ·         Reaching ·         Balance ·         Exchanging from one hand to another ·         Crawling whilst chasing one of the shapes that has fallen, or has been thrown by him or her.

·         Familiar words Colours, numbers, shapes. ·         Understanding The child will understand a pattern to the falling of the blocks and the consequence to stacking the blocks to high. The child will familiarise him or herself to the different feels of the different shapes. The child will quite possibly be experimental and make patterns by using different colours and shapes or, they may throw or roll the blocks across the floor to make sense of the way each different shape travels e.g. a circular shape will roll across the floor, as opposed to a rectangular shape which will slide across the floor

Play experiences and suitable play materials

6-12 month

Outdoor

A Visit to the Park

 

Here is an activity that is often used for the younger child, which is not quite able to use the other play equipment yet. Parents often put their child onto a swing just for their child to enjoy themselves whilst out of the home and rather than being confined to their pram or pushchair. For a parent, that is great as they feel like they are partaking in the Childs enjoyment, but, for a child it is so much more than just swinging as the following table will elaborate.

Adult Interaction	Familiar Words	Sensations
A child becomes vulnerable when experiencing new activities, this can make them apprehensive, scared, thrilled, anxious, giggly etc. It is important for a child at this stage to have a familiar and trusted face in front of them; this could be a parent, family member or regular carer, someone that the child has a bond with. It is easy for another person to partake with the child but upon the emotion that the child is already experiencing could easily lead to insecurity for the child. Adult interaction takes place when you first look at your child in the swing that is also when the child starts their cognitive learning from you. The child will pick up various facial expressions, sounds, words and will also, over time, learn to connect some of them with the motion of the swing.	·         Up ·         Down ·         Backwards ·         Forwards ·         One, two, three ·         Fast ·         Slow ·         High ·         Low ·         Wee ·         Woo ·         Look at ·         Who is ·         Near ·         Far	A child can pick up various sensations and words that can be associated with other activities. ·         Walking - “up” and “down” ·         Throwing - “high” and “low” ·         Counting - “One, two, three” ·         Walking when being held – “you are walking to fast” or “slow down, I can’t keep up” When upon a swing, a Childs perspective of view changes, the child observes different objects, people and possibly buildings, at different distances whilst the swing is in motion. ·         “Look at? over there” ·         “Who is that? Up, down, near there “etc. This also shows an understanding to distance as in either “she is Near” or “he is Far”.

SPIRITUAL LEARNING

Age 3-4

Spiritual learning for any child is a complex process. Often the child looks towards the way of his or her surroundings, in order to imitate the emotions they feel. By this age, the child has learned many emotional expressions, either positive or negative emotions, the child has learned. The child has now learned at this age to display much of what he or she has learned, in either a social, learning or home situation.

At this age (3-4) the child will be able to understand the basics of consequence, many people would assume that for a child to “understood the basics of consequence” then this would be intellectual learning,  not in this case. Upon the research I have done I found that as insignificant as “spiritual learning” may sound, it is one of the most complex adoptions in a Childs life, an adaption that makes every child an individual.

Spiritual learning is not about religion as most people may think; instead it is the complexity of emotions and how each separate emotion is expressed individually or collectively by the child, also the consequential reaction to the expressed emotion.

In the table below, I will try and explain how each of these attributes is shared in the way of spiritual learning.

Emotion	Expression	Consequence
Happiness	Smiling	People react by smiling in return
Sadness	Looking Sad	People interacting with the child by the means of conversation. “What is wrong?”
Joy	Jumping and clapping	People giving praise or joining in the actions.
Upset	Tears, sniffling, Crying.	People engage in ways of comfort i.e. cuddles, softly speaking, trying to make laugh etc.

Every emotion that a child shares, has an expression and a consequence, sometimes if not most of the time, the child can manipulate by means or by accident using the ways of his or her ever expanding. Spiritual learning

 

UNDERSTANDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

0-1

	MOBILE	This item will help physical and visual development of the new-born as the baby makes an attempt to grab the toys improving hand eye co-ordination
	PLAY GYM	Play gyms offer an interactive and educational activity that encourages development, and they offer a host of fun for new-borns. Play gyms entertain and occupy a baby, and they can possibly soothe and calm baby. They stimulate a baby's visual and tactile senses and they enhance a new-borns development, whilst promoting and developing core skills.
	ACTIVITY WALKER	An activity walker encourages those first steps and also develops motor and manipulative skills. This fun walker will help a baby to learn from sitting to walking. There will be an improvement in muscle strength and growth alongside a concept of early learning and familiar sounds

1-2

	SPINNING GEARS AND COGS	Encourage your baby to put the cogs on to the posts. Your baby can explore the cogs with their hands, and see how they fit together. Great for introducing colours and the simple physics of motion
	TROLLEY & BLOCKS	The trolley has a wheel away base for easy manoeuvrability so Physically the child can improve in their development skills as they push and pull the trolley independently and without the holding support of a walker, also the blocks can be used for shape recognition (if not just blocks), sorting and counting as well as building and recognising colours.
	SAND & WATER ACTIVITY SET	This toy encourages your child to enjoy using their imagination as well as the concept of different textures, sounds and colours

2-3

	BUILDING BLOCKS
	OUTDOOR POOL	This toy helps your child develop coordination, balance and strength also this toy helps your child feel secure and happy, and enjoy good self-esteem.
	EASY CLEAN FINGER PAINTS	This selection enables your child to express themselves artistically.

3-4

	FOAM LETTERS AND NUMBERS	This choice consist of bright letters and numbers that stick to the bath or tiles when wet therefor encouraging your child to learn during the essence of fun
	MUSICAL XYLOPHONE	This item of learning encourages your child to enjoy using their senses, discovering colours, various sounds and discovering the sensation and feeling of vibration.
	PLAY DOUGH	This play material will enable a child to express themselves artistically as an individual also recognising various patters when the colours are mixed together hand eye co-ordination will also improve as the child understands how to use the manipulation of their hands to make the shapes

4-5

	CREATIVITY SET	This toy enables your child to express themselves artistically. The child will learn of different shapes, colours, textures as well as the names of various materials
	FLASH CARDS	These particular learning games teach your child to work things out for themselves throughout the course of repetition and the ability to associate words with pictures and letters with words forming their basic understanding of learning
	FLASH CARDS INC GAMES	These learning games teach your child to work things out for themselves throughout the course of repetition and the ability to associate words with pictures and letters with words forming their basic understanding of learning and games to improve the child’s thinking and reaction time in games like snap and word bingo etc.

Research database

1)      http://popular.ebay.co.uk/baby/cot-mobile.htm

2)      http://www.helium.com/items/1950674-benefits-of-a-baby-play-gym

3)      http://www.alphabeteducation.co.uk/preschool-equipment/wooden-block-trolley/prod_173.html

4)      http://www.elc.co.uk/Wave-Pool---Blue/117655,default,pd.html

5)      http://www.elc.co.uk/Bright-Finger-Paints/126148,default,pd.html

6)      http://www.elc.co.uk/Foam-Letters-and-Numbers/124210,default,pd.html

7)      http://www.elc.co.uk/My-First-Xylophone/125074,default,pd.html

8)      http://www.elc.co.uk/Soft-Stuff-Doh-Tubs---Standard-Colours/120283,default,pd.html

9)      http://www.elc.co.uk/Mr-Maker-Bumper-Craft-Box/125907,default,pd.html

10)   http://www.elc.co.uk/Giant-Alphabet-Flash-Cards/116134,default,pd.html

11)    

References

http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/936773/Work-Matters-Training---Inclusive-Play---Learning-think-outside-box/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

http://www.pre-school.org.uk/document/462

http://www.cvsnider.com/Default.asp?page=145

http://www.inclusiveplay.co.uk/inclusive

include09.kinetixevents.co.uk/rca/rca2009/paper.../F97_1488.DOC

http://www.specialinkcanada.org/Friday/And%20We%20All%20Fall%20Down.pdf

http://www.4children.org/issues/2007/may_june/play_itrsquos_the_way_young_children_learn/

 http://www.childcareaware.org/en/subscriptions/dailyparent/volume.php?id=50

 

Reference

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/Images.pdf

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Cognitive_End_3_4_5/   Copyright © 2006 - 2010 Education.com, Inc.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cognitive-development  Copyright © 2010 Answers Corporation

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/piaget.shtml  Copyright © 2000- 2010 by Child Development Institute, LLC

http://www.universalpreschool.com/how-to/teach/cognitive_development.asp  Copyright 2004-2010, Diane Flynn Keith,

 http://www.ics.org.au/files/downloads/isa/2010%20Term%201%20-%20Children%20as%20Partners%20-%20booklet.pdf