Unit 7 Play and Learning in Children’s Education

1. Unit 7Play and Learning in Children’s Education

2. Aim Understand how to support children’s play

3. Objectives • To describe ‘What is play?’ • To explain what P.I.L.E.S. stands for • To name the different types of play

4. Ice breaker • Write down on the post it note ‘what is play?’ • Think about your own childhood experiences of play • On the reverse side of the post it note write down ‘how does play help children?’ • Feed back to the group.

5. Play helps • Play helps

6. Play helps • Play helps • Develops communication • children have fun • Develops imagination • Express emotions • Gives a sensory experience • Develop KUW • Concentration skills • Develops PSRN • Helps develop social skills • Develops creativity • Develops fine and gross motor skills • Explore their interests

7. Holistic? • What do we mean by using the term ‘Holistic Development’? Holistic means: including or encompassing everything that is expected or appropriate complete, including all parts or aspects, with nothing left out

8. What is play? (1) • Play is an activity that children are motivated to do from within themselves. • Children play in their own chosen way. • It has been said that ‘play’ is a child’s ‘work’.

9. What is play? (2) There are many ‘play’ activities for children that most adults regard as ‘work’, such as: • cooking • washing-up • digging • shopping • setting the table • washing (dolls’) clothes.

10. What is play? (3) Activities that some think are ‘work’ are pleasurable hobbies to others, such as: • sewing • DIY • gardening • car maintenance. What are your activities or hobbies?

11. Activity • Complete hand out 6.2 Categories of Play. • Write the play activities under the appropriate category you think they fit into. • Answer questions 2,3,4,5. • Get ready to feed back to the class. • You have 10 minutes

12. Activity 6.2 Answers

13. Physical play Physical play activities: • use the whole body • promote gross motor skill development • often take place outdoors • usually require a large space. • locomotor skills • fine motor skills

14. Manipulative play Manipulative play activities: • promote fine motor skills • help children develop control of objects • help children develop the ability to manipulate • help children become independent (e.g. in feeding and dressing).

15. Imaginative play Imaginative play activities encourage the use of imagination and include: • ‘small world’ toys (e.g. farms, garages, trains, castles) • puppets (e.g. glove or finger) • stories (e.g. listening, telling, writing, acting out) • role play (e.g. pretending to be another person).

16. Exploratory play Exploratory play: • encourages children to be curious and explore new materials and situations • requires safe materials and working environments and appropriate supervision • uses natural materials (e.g. water, wet or dry sand, clay or play-dough and mud) so children can discover how they ‘behave’ (what happens ‘when’ or ‘if’ they do something with it or to it) • allows children to explore sounds, smells, tastes and textures.

17. Creative play Creativity involves original ideas. There does not always have to be a final product – the process is more important! Creative play activities include: • music activities (e.g. creating sounds, responding to music through movement or painting or drawing) • dance or gymnastics • painting and drawing • collage • modelling with recycled materials or clay or dough • writing stories or poem

18. Resources ‘Resources’ is a broad term for everything that is needed for an activity, to include: • materials and equipment • supervision • space/working area • special clothing • time.

19. What is P.I.L.E.S? This is an acronym and it stands for different types of children's development, can you fill in the blanks? • P • I • L • E • S

20. Child Development • P= physicalI=intellectualL=languageE=emotionalS=social

21. Lesson Recap • Each taking turns to say what you have learnt today! • Try and not to repeat what someone else has said.