Play, it is most often thought of as a break, or reward for doing your work. But for young children it is the work. Play is the vehicle in which children learn. This was a huge topic covered in class and I believe one of the most important to myself. In the future when I have children, I plan to home school my children, and during the early years I'm sure play will be a large part of how my children will learn. In class we discussed how play does teach children and the value of both free unstructured play as well as intentional play, that is play experiences that come from well thought out meaningful classrooms and activity choices that educators make from careful observations. So, though play at times may seem as though it is just a fun activity, the children are learning, especially with intentional teaching.
Play is one of the main rights of the child, according to the United Nations rights of the child. Play is so important to the well being of each child, and I cannot think of a better way in which to teach our youngest people. It is hard sometimes to think of certain activities as play, when I've laid out an activity for the children to measure and prepare goop on their own, it is an intentionally planned activity, however to the child, it is still play, they are learning yes, but the children are exploring and playing on their own terms.
I myself get caught up in the misconceptions held by many about play. It is thought by many, I believe, that play is an unstructured activity where the children go free with their imaginations, and while there is always room for that, the activities that an educator finds or creates for her students based on their interests and needs is still play.
One of the books we've talked about in class that delves into this intentional play is "The Intentional Teacher" by Ann S Epstein. She talks in her book about the roles of adult guided interactions and child guided interactions. In both, the teacher must be intentional and focused on the child's learning, but in one, the teacher will proceed along her goals, and in the other, along the child's goals. On the fourth page of the book Ann defined just what it means to be an intentional teacher, and it really helps me to understand the difference between play that is meaningful, and play that is unstructured:
" To be “intentional” is to act purposefully, with a goal in mind and a plan for accomplishing it. Intentional acts originate from careful thought and are accompanied by consideration of their potential effects. Thus an “intentional” teacher aims at clearly defined learning objectives for children, employs instructional strategies likely to help children achieve the objectives, and continually assesses progress and adjusts the strategies based on that assessment."
I myself lean more towards child guided exercises, or at least teacher guided exercises that are planned through a child's interest ie. giving materials to make instruments when the children are interested in music, or giving fake snow when the children are sad the early snow has melted.
Another document that discusses the role of play is the ELECT document. A planned curriculum is one of the 6 principles of the elect. In the elect they state that "Play is a means to early learning that capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity and exuberance." They go on to discuss how in fact children are learning through their play "Play engages children’s attention when it offers a challenge that is within the child’s capacity to master. Early childhood settings that value children’s play create a ‘‘climate of delight” that honours childhood (ETFO, 1999). Effective settings take advantage of play and embed opportunities for learning in the physical environment and play activities."
Play could be the single most important thing we let children do. Play in the elect document goes hand in hand with planned curriculum, as you could not have meaningful engaging play, without planning some meaningful engaging activities. Children will of course find a way to learn no matter what as they are natural learners, but the job of the educator is to help them on that journey.
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