So what do we mean by open ended creative play?
• It is the kind of play where we let children be what they want to be.
• It is the kind of play where we let children play the way they want to play.
• It is the kind of play where we let children imagine what they want to imagine.
• It is the kind of play where we let children create what they want to create.
• Open ended play is where children are not given any goals to achieve and they are not given any set of rules to follow. In this kind of play children are given a number of resources that are open ended which means the children can use the given resources in a number of ways based on their imaginations and creativity.
“Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. Children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play by following their instincts, ideas and interests in their own way and for their own reasons. The child chooses when and how to play and this is seen as a biological drive, essential to health and well-being.”
Play is essential to every part of children’s lives and is important to their development. It provides the children with different ways of doing things children will want to explore and learn new things.
This activity is developmentally appropriate for this age group because it gives children self-esteem and teaches them autonomy. When children engage in pretend play, they are actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life. Through cooperative play, they learns how to take turns, share responsibility, and creatively problem-solve. When children pretend to be different characters, they have the experience of "walking in someone else's shoes," which helps teach the important moral development skill of empathy. It is normal for
Some of the characteristics of freely chosen, self-directed play are children choosing what they want to do, how they want to do it and when to stop and try something else. Adults do not set or impose on it even though they may provide the space and resources. In our setting for instance, during free play we let the children lead in what they want to do and support them if they want us to. It’s the children who make the choice of what they want to do although there are boundaries for health and safety, inclusion etc
Play contributes to children’s “physical, emotional and social well-being” (Else, 2009, p.8) and through play, the child’s holistic development and well-being is being constantly accounted for as is it led by the individual. The child decides what s/he wants to do and does it; it is
Play is satisfying to the child, creative for the child and freely chosen by the child.
Many theorists suggested that pretence in play and group play helps children to assume new roles and distinguish self from the others by self- realising their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses and desires compared to others. Play expose children to various challenges, tensions, and/or conflicts encouraging them to engage in self-directed manipulation/solving of problems in the material world hence building up their self-confidence. Furthermore, play environment provide children with an opportunity to self-directed inquiry through which they can build up
Through creative free-play, children are able to establish independence and have the freedom to express themselves. It is important for children to "put themselves in others' shoes", so to speak, and by pretending to be someone or something else through role play, they develop understanding the needs and values of others. They learn to entertain themselves
Dramatic play permits children to fit the reality of the world into their own interests and knowledge. One of the purest forms of symbolic thought available to young children, dramatic play, contributes strongly to the intellectual development of children. Young children learn by imagining and doing and dramatic play allows them to do so. Dramatic play also promotes the use of speaking and listening skills. When children take part in this type of play, they practice words they have heard others say, and realize that they must listen to what other “players” say in order to be able to respond in an appropriate fashion. This style of play also promotes the development of social skills through interaction with others, peers or adults, which is a necessary factor in a child’s future.
Creative play: Creative play is been expressive, imaginative, artistic, used thoughts, emotion and is when meaning is been created and conveyed.
Providing children with free time to engage in imaginative and creative play allows the child to develope a higher self steem and brings out the leadership skills they may have within. Also allowing a child to have open creative time, may allow better communication and alternative forms of expression.
“What makes something play and what play ‘means’ to culture continues to be potential redefined through changing social practice. The strength of the concept of play relies on the binding together of many different social conditions which people may understand as play, but which cannot be collectively defined by any firm set of rules or boundaries. Because play is not a distinct, discrete set of activities, but rather a characteristic which is present to varying degrees in many different kinds of human behavior, it is necessary to look at play from multiple perspectives, drawing together threads of analysis.”26
When you think of play you don’t really think about or realize how important it really is in a child’s life. It consists of five elements, and these elements are the make-up and the meaning of play. The first element is that it is pleasurable and enjoyable. This means it must be fun! In order for it to be considered play, there must be a fun and enjoyable element to it. Play also has no extrinsic goal which means it is engaged for
Defining play can be very difficult. The term play can be used to illustrate a wide range of behaviors and activities, and can be perceived as both essential and insignificant to the child at the same time. Santrock (2012, p.437) suggests a definition of play as "a pleasurable activity that is engaged in for its own sake." However, this is argued by Kernan (2007, p.5) who states that none of the potential definitions are broad enough to encompass all of the meanings associated with play. Despite the lack of such universal definition, Rennie (2003, p.22) claims, that "we can recognize play across barriers of language, of culture, even of species", which conveys its importance in the life and development of children, as it is
Play is the foundation stone of children’s healthy and productive lives (Oliver & Klugman, 2002) and is also a significant means of child’s learning and development (Zigler, Singer & Bishop-