She also notices that Hannah is assonated by the pattern the wheels make on the grass and sand. Schema makes some brief notes of these observations to share at the next team meeting. By the end of this unit you should have a good understanding of why play is valued and how it supports children’s learning and development. Hannah, aged 3 watering the garden Assignment 2: Understand how a range of play opportunities and types of play can support children’s development In pairs, write down as many different types of play that you can think of with examples Different types of play Physical play – involves all types of physical movement
Imaginative play – involves pretending with objects and situations Sensory play – involves learning about yourself through the use of your senses Creative play – involves using opened materials to freely express yourself Construction play – involves the manipulation of materials and objects to create or build something How can physical play support the development of: Physical skills C] Confidence Social skills for a child aged 0-2 and 2-8 years?
Write down an example for each of the age ranges and state how How playing Football supports children’s development aged 0-2 Physical skills – throwing, running, Ross motor skills Confidence – asserts self, shows pride and pleasure in new accomplishments Social skills – enjoyment from peer play, begins to see benefits of cooperation, identifies self with children of same age or sex children’s development aged 2 – 8 Physical skills – gross motor skills, skilled actions kicking football Confidence – being part of a team, opportunity to make new friends Social skills – respecting others, teamwork, sense of belonging, understands rules and routines How can imaginative play support the Communication and language Development of identity through taking different roles
Write down an example for each of the age ranges and state how How imaginative play supports Communication and language – opportunity to learn more words than can say, begins to play pretend games and use fantasy language Social skills – Begins to show imagination by playing with adults and watching other children Development of identify through taking different roles – Begins to imitate the ways of others and how different people behave by copying other children and adults Communication and language – make telephone calls, look at books and retell stories about other families and their lives Social skills – learn to take turns and share, explore the emotions of a strict parent or a naughty child taking different roles – Acting in a role as family members and friends, instructing others as to how to cook, clean, bath the baby How can sensory play support the Fine motor skills Hand-eye coordination Exploration of early mathematical concepts of volume and shape Interest in textures and properties of different materials How sensory play supports children’s development aged 0-2 Fine motor skills – able to turn the pages of a book Hand-eye coordination – able to finger paint
Exploration of early mathematical concepts of volume and shape – matching shapes and sizes egg Duple and wooden puzzles, water play with cups and funnels Interest in textures and properties of different materials – snuggle with soft blankets, investigate soft furry toys, explore different textures with a ‘texture mat’ development aged 2-8 Fine motor skills – confident with scissors, drawing shapes and threading beads, puzzles (30 pieces) Hand-eye coordination – able to tie shoelaces and zipping zippers volume and shape – pouring and measuring with water and sand using a variety of different devices, interest in puzzles materials – inside play areas falling into ball pools, tumbling onto soft mats, being squeezed by rollers How can creative play support the Expression and release of emotion How creative play supports children’s development aged O – 2 Fine motor skills – love squeezable objects which smell good egg play dough Hand-eye coordination – splattering paint or colored glue and making marks with fingers, feet and hands, practicing how to stick two pieces of card together through musical instruments and building blocks Fine motor skills – model making, painting garden cones Hand-eye coordination – through Ewing and weaving Expression and release of emotion – any creative activity which allows feelings and emotions to be released e. G. Minting, drawing and clay making How can construction play support the development of: Spatial awareness Curiosity in structures How things work How construction play supports children’s development aged 0 – 2 Spatial awareness – walk around construction objects without falling over Hand-eye coordination – able to build simple towers with wooden blocks and stickle bricks Curiosity in structures – familiarize themselves with the material such as mouthing objects How things work – experiment with building a three-dimensional creation such as large foam tower Spatial awareness – awareness of how to build a tower before it gets top heavy Hand-eye coordination – can create three-dimensional shapes and models drawing and cutting Curiosity in structures – experiment with construction materials How things work – connect toys together with glue, and tape etc which represents a particular symbol UP How play can be differentiated to meet the needs of individual children? Play opportunities for babies and children from birth up to 2 years old include: Treasure basket play
Heuristic play Adult-initiated play including peeks-boo, roll a ball Play opportunities for babies and children from birth up to 2 years old Treasure basket play: Children need interesting things to explore and discover to satisfy their urge of curiosity. This is what has made the treasure basket such a powerful tool in early years’ settings, as it offers young babies choices about what to explore and in this way gives them a measure of self-determination and independence. Play opportunities for babies and children from birth up to 2 years old Treasure basket play: The cognitive satisfaction of feeling ND tasting a new object is matched by a positive emotional reaction in response to the pride shown by the career in the bays ability to reach for and explore an object in the basket Heuristic play is an approach for practitioners to follow.
It is not a prescription or instruction, in short it is unrestricted and totally child-led. Heuristic play uses natural, recycled household objects that can be found in the home and in the environment. Babies and young children who are engaged in heuristic play explore, find out, investigate and discover for themselves, without active adult intervention. Heuristic play allows babies and young children to make Heuristic Play choices and develop preferences and experience play opportunities that are both spontaneous and focused. Heuristic Play With heuristic play there is no right or wrong; there is no sense of failure. The toddler is able to experiment and investigate freely as to what they can do with the objects.
Case Study Lucy, aged 15 months, took a little while to begin to explore the heuristic play materials and returned several times to the adult nearby for support. She discovered that she could pile several different objects on top of each other; she seed different sized tins, plant pots and plastic bottles. She squealed in delight as the pile of objects fell over, but immediately started rebuilding her pile. Joe and Elli explored the treasure basket play materials at the same time. Elli, the younger toddler, watched Sam intently and copied some of his actions. She picked up a tube copying and made noises down the tube as he had done. She watched as he put plant pots on his head and tried to copy him.
