The importance of play in the lives of children

What is play? According to Bruner, play can be seen as the main opportunity for children to take risks without fear of failure. Creativity and play are closely related

Developmental Characteristics of Play Development of motor skills Vocabulary growth Sharpening of the senses Increased concentration Expression of emotions – empathy Flexibility Sharing, turn taking – harmony Role taking Ordering, sequencing Expansion of imagination and creativity Delay of gratification

Cognitive Development and Play 5 basic forms of play: Functional play/ exploratory play Constructive play Dramatic play Sociodramatic play Games with rules **Take some time and review one of the forms as a pair. Be ready to explain it to the group in a few minutes.**

Social Development and Play Solitary play Parallel play Associative play Cooperative play **Take some time and review one of the forms as a pair. Be ready to explain it to the group in a few minutes.**

Distinguishing play from other behaviours Active engagement Intrinsic motivation Attention to means rather than ends Nonliteral behaviour Existence of implicit rules **Take some time and review one of the forms as a pair. Be ready to explain it to the group in a few minutes.**

Adapting Play to Individual Learners 1. Children should be free to choose their own play experiences. 2. The environment should offer play alternatives that are meaningful and accessible to children. 3. Play experiences should be based on objectives derived from observations of children in order to facilitate development progress from their present level to a higher level of development. 4. Educators should plan a range of play experiences from the simple to the complex and begin with very concrete learning challenges in which the concepts of skills to be mastered are clear and observable to the learner. 5. A balance of structured and open-ended activities should be provided. 6. A balance of individual and group activities to allow for children’s unique learning styles should be provided. 7. Equipment, materials, and supplies should be placed in well-defined learning centers that ensure children’s receipt of messages from their environment about what they should be doing and learning in each learning center.

Types of Play Active Cooperative Creative Dramatic Manipulative Quiet

Active Play Play that involves movement and physical activity. Active play is the perfect type of play to tucker any youngster out!

Cooperative Play More than one child playing together or around each other. Children learn from watching other children play and interacting with them socially

Creative Play Play that ignites a child's imagination and makes something out of nothing!

Dramatic Play Play that involves pretend and make believe, or whatever the imagination dreams.

Manipulative Play Play that involves hand-eye coordination and motor skills. Children need the opportunity to work on finer skills that involve a little more control and direction.

Quiet Play Play that keeps children's mouths shut but their minds open. Playtime for children should have the opportunity to be quiet — the playtime for which adults are sometimes grateful!