Social Learning And Teaching Play Essay

The Playwork Principles (2006) state “All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate”.

As an early years practitioner you will recognise that children’s play is closely linked to their learning and development. Children learn in so many different ways but you will notice that they learn mainly through play. When children are able to do many different activity’s that allows them to lean but have fun at the same time thy will find what they are doing fun and will engage the children. It is important that when in you your setting you set up a variety of educational activity’s this way the children will be able to choose freely what they want to do.

When learning becomes fun the teachers find it less challenging for trying to keep the child engaged in the activity at hand. The job of the educator working with a play-based curriculum is to facilitate play, to draw out and extend what children learn through play (Play Based Programmes, 2015). Children have a variety of play spaces available that mimic their regular world around them, each space can be intertwined with another centre such as combining the truck centre with the block centre, or adding in some zoo animals to the area. The play based approach can be used by children of all abilities, it allows children to play independently or as a small group, and allows the children the opportunity to bring their home life into their play.

Play is the way children learn and is a word that is used to describe the different activities behaviours that children participate in, this would concur with “Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivist theory that suggests that play promotes both mental and social development for children” (cited in Goulding, 2016, p16). Early childhood educators such as Froebel and Vygotsky have always promoted the importance of the outdoor learning environment. According to Vygotsky (1978), children learn through interacting with the environment and through social interaction with others. Social constructivist theory, believes play is important for the growth of a child’s cognitive emotional and social development and

Play is inevitable when it comes to children. Given the right environment and objects (of any sort), children will find a way to play. Jarvis, et al state that educators must offer inspiring, playful environments which include hands-on activities and interesting resources. This will empower children to educate themselves (2009). Along the same line, Wood and Attfield consider that an environment inclusive of varied resources will provide room for growth in their learning and will support the child’s “creativity, inventiveness and originally” (2005, p.231).

The terms “play”, “learn” and “teach” are commonly used in the early childhood sector. This essay attempts to define and interconnect these terms to produce a holistic understanding of how play can be used as a medium to help children learn.

In order to support a play based approach to learning it is important to understand that supporting and leading are two different roles that practitioners can take when it comes to children’s play. When we control or take over a child’s play, they are violating the basic principles of play being self-chosen and self-directed by the child. When children lose the freedom to explore openly, the experience loses its meaning. Instead we can support children’s play by being involved and engaged in their play, but not taking over, allowing them to build up themselves, engage in learning and exploration can provide opportunities to help them expand their experiences. By being involved, children learn that adults are invested in them and respect their play decisions.

Play is a way for children to learn about their environment and how interaction occurs within. It is through trial and error that children are able to create options; follow their own interests and show “independence in thought and actions” using their knowledge and understanding (Moyles, 2005, p.3). Children develop resilience though play. However for a number of children can experience stressful occurrences during their lives and play can often be restricted. Therefore the play worker’s role in supporting children’s play is a crucial measure towards children's development. For those that work with children require the dexterity to prompt and contribute to children’s play, which can be seen as a principle aspect of therapeutic alliance.

The Early Years Learning Framework describes play as a “context for learning” in which children make sense of their world (DEEWR, 2009, p.9). Play is essential for learning and development as it provides opportunities for children to express themselves creatively, construct new understandings, and develop relationships (Undiyaundeye, 2013). Play supports the student’s developmental domains such as; social, language, and creativity, cognitive, emotional and physical development. The National Quality Framework acknowledges the educator’s role as facilitator, in which they respond to student’s ideas, play and use intentional teaching to extend and scaffold each student learning (ACECQA, 2013, p. 40). Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory describes learning as a social activity, in which the child’s social and cognitive understanding is constructed through social interaction (Duchesne et al., 2013; Arthur et al., 2015). He believes that play occurs in a socio-cultural context and provides ‘Zone of Proximal’ development for a student in which they can behave beyond their age and act in ways that are not typical of their daily behavior. The educator at pre-primary structured the classroom to support and encourage interaction, for instance, the home corner, which consisted of multiple dining chairs and a range of resources for dramatic play. The pre-primary teacher took on the role as onlooker and mediator during the children’s play, interrupting their play to manage behavior issues,

John was seen engaging in imaginative play in the ‘mini world’ where he was imitating the sounds of the different animals as he was playing with them. (Appendix: 1h, lines 61-66). His play fits into the constructivist view where he is ‘actively engaged in testing and refining’ his understanding (mental mode). A similar view can be seen my observation (Appendix: 1f, lines 42-51), where John demonstrates what Piaget (1951) would call ‘discovery learning’ in the way he innovates a new painting technique. My organisation of the activity provided an experience for children where peer-peer interaction was encouraged (symmetrical relationship). There was scope for ‘cognitive conflict’. (Block 3. Pg 23), which was demonstrated by the way Sara and Adam learnt a new skill of painting from John (Appendix 1b& 1e).

Another way that play has changed is through education, play is seen as a way to educate children by letting them explore their surroundings and learn from their experiences, which has been developed into a curriculum for 3 to 7 year olds called the Foundation Phase (Gov.wales, 2014). The idea and concept of learning through play was taken from the Reggio Emilia approach. Less than a decade ago, children didn’t have the opportunity to learn through play and were taught through books or sat at a desk doing worksheet tasks, play was seen as leisure for children and not in a way to learn. Also comparing today’s educational system to earlier eras, school wasn’t seen to be as important for children, they had to go to work to provide for their families. (Bbc.co.uk, 2014) Children today get to gain an array of skills and knowledge that allows them to progress through the learning spectrum and having more freedom within their learning. With this children are

The play space is not school, and whilst learning may be an important playwork priority, what is even more important is how the child learns and whether s/he retains control over prioritising what is learnt. Play is a process of trial and error in which the error is as valuable to learning as is the success. Within playwork we generally define play as behaviour which is 'freely chosen', 'personally directed' and 'intrinsically motivated' (Hughes, 1984). The definition is seen as having authenticity by playworkers because it recognises not only the child-centredness of play, but its experimental nature (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1967, 1970). (Hughes, 2001, p. 97)

Let kids be kids, is a well-known statement that is used often around the world. This statement is meant to encourage the joyful care free nature of kids, although it isn’t always carried out. In today’s society, kids are subjected to rigorous testing. over structured curriculums, and are generally over stressed due the demanding needs of education. Though, education is important, these needs have impacted vital learning skills and children’s overall health.

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-

Play Education is the most important activity in the lives of children. Play is the foundation of learning for young children. For children play, is how they begin to understand and process their world? The best part for children is that play is fun and this keeps them always wanting more because they enjoy participating in it. Play education is for children up until age 12. And different ages are broken down into groups. Giving the child time and some few basic toys can provide them with a variety of valuable learning opportunities. It is important to let children explore and learn how to play, if the child can’t seem to figure it out then a person can guide them. Play Education is simple and very effective; this is an individual