PLAY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RESEARCH
Play can be described as what children and young people do when they follow their own ideas and interests, in their own way, and for their own reasons.
It is fundamental to children’s learning, and all aspects of their development. Children deliberately seek out physical and emotional uncertainty in their play and this is significant in terms of social and emotional development. Play is learning, it not “just play.”
Play and the Curriculum
- Do you know how children learn and develop?
- What is meant by a play based emergent curriculum?
- Do you know what the words Siolta and Aistear mean?
Play is a much more powerful medium than many realise. It is fundamental to children’s learning and development and it promotes key stills such as inquiry, teamwork, experimentation and expression. As early childhood education pioneers Jean Piget and Maria Montessori said play is the child’s work.
Children need to experiment, have interactions and compare experiences to learn and our staff carefully plan the curriculum to allow them to do this! They base it on your children’s interests. Children are offered choice too as is their right! That is why your input is always so important to us. By sharing a new experience or a holiday your child had enables us to plan for possible learning opportunities!
Early Childhood – most important time for brain development
- Children’s brains develop connections faster in the first 5 years than at any other time in their lives. This is the time when the foundations for learning, health and behaviour throughout life are laid down. Babies are born ready to learn, and their brains develop through use. Neuroscience highlights that from birth to six years of age a child’s brain has reached about 90% of its adult volume (Shuey & Kankaras, 2018).
- There is understanding that experience, not simple maturation, changes the brain and that all learning happens in the context of relationships and interactions. At Kids Inc we set up the environment and provide open ended materials to allow the children with support of our skilled practitioners to explore and interact with their environment through the medium of play!
The importance of Play for Brain Development
- Research on neuroscience suggests that play is not simply about developing skills needed for adult life but instead is a key factor in brain development.
- The areas of the brain that concern emotion, motivation and reward are developed through play as are systems that link the brain, the body, the social and physical environment. As such, play has an impact on the architectural foundations of development (such as gene expression, physical and chemical development of the brain). In turn, this influences the child’s ability to adapt, survive and thrive in their social circles and physical environments.
- Children are not passive, waiting for knowledge to be imparted on them. They need the ‘hands on/brains on’ activities that meaningful play provides. Play is so important for children!
What children learn when they play?
Physical skills:
- hand – eye coordination
- finger dexterity and hand grips
- visual perception
Oral language:
- describing
- exchanging ideas
- asking for help
- new vocabulary
Social – emotional skills:
- motivation
- self – confidence
- initiative
- patience
Science:
- gravity
- trial and error
- discovery
- properties of materials
Arts:
- symmetry
- patterns
- shape recognition and relations
- symbolic representation
Engineering:
- planning
- problem – solving
- consulting
Mathematics:
- measurements
- classifying
- positional language
- symmetry
- numbers
- order
How our staff facilitate play based learning?
Early years professionals are responsible for laying the foundations for effective learning. They build warm and positive relationships with the children ensuring the children feel valued and respected.
Facilitating education and care in these all important early years is not a formal affair and it does not involve complete adult direction instead it requires a high level of attunement, observation and reflective practice by the practitioner.
The skilled practitioner prepares the environment, plans the curriculum, working together with the child facilitating learning opportunities to enhance the child’s understanding of the world.
