Play And Curriculum Analysis

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.

The relationship between play and learning seems obvious to many child professionals and parents, and yet there are still lack of understanding surrounding the importance of children's play. Some people believe that children need to "work" not play, and that playing serves no useful purpose in a learning and development environment. This is surprising considering that play, with its high levels of motivation and potential enjoyment empowers children (as well as people

The practitioner in an early years setting supporting children’s play learning and development is extremely important, as play helps stimulate the child’s brain, supports their needs on an educational level, as well as helping them with social difficulties such as building relationships, developing them and helping them gain confidence. Many people believe that a child learns best when they are motivated, such as Fredrich Froebel. He believed that children benefitted from all types of play. The McMillan sisters believed that outdoor play was extra important as they studied children who played and slept outside and discovered that they were the happier and healthier children in comparison to those who only played inside.

Friedrich Froebel had the idea that children learn best through play and by having real experiences and from these theories he was the founder of the first ever kindergarten in 1840 (Meggitt et al, 2011). Following the theory that children learn best through play, Frobel introduced toys that he called, ‘Froebel Gifts’ or ‘gaben’ which included balls, wooden blocks, rings, tiles and sticks which were all the key elements of Froebel’s kindergarten (Watson, 2002).

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 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

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.

A world of structured, gray, and unamused faces isn’t the environment for crazy, colorful, happy kids; so why should we force this onto them earlier than needed? David Kohn’s article “Let Kids Learn Through Play” speaks of this issue, shedding new light onto the subject. In his article, Kohn highlights many of the misconceptions that come with early childhood learning, and many drawbacks that may come from the rising trend. He also talks about the struggles young students will face in a structured learning environment, and how it may actually be harmful towards them, instead of beneficial. As I was reading, I found myself agreeing with Kohn's points, not sure why formal education needed to be started

Play is the eager engagement in physical or mental effort to obtain emotional satisfaction (Sheridan, 1977, p. 5). The above definition specifies the three most important domains of development which advances through play. In this essay, I will highlight the ways children develop these skills through play with a few examples from my practicum experience to support my statements. First, I will discuss the relevance of play to children’s learning between zero to five years of age. I will do this by beginning my discussion with differences between play in India, my home country and play in New Zealand. Then, I will provide an overview of the theories of Vygotsky and Bronfenbrenner and compare them. I have chosen these two theorists as their

According to Lev Vygotsky, in the article Play: The Work of Lev Vygotsky (2017), when children partake in play they are building their language and cognitive development

Piaget (1951) recognised the importance of play during the first two years in different stages begin from exploring through senses which leads into pretend play. Vygotsky in his recent theories (1967, 1978) emphasises play as social and cultural activity which has a key role in children’s learning and development. The General Comment No.17 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises the role of play in the development of physical, social, cognitive and emotional

There is evidence to suggest that through the provision of good quality play experiences, play children develop high levels of verbal skill and creative problem solving capabilities.

Although it has been 15 years since I played with building blocks and enjoyed taking a nap in a kindergarten classroom, playing with other kids and using games to learn fundamental skills like counting and how to write the alphabet are some of the most vivid memories from my fairly young childhood. Even going back and visiting the elementary school I attended, I don’t see the “formal education” method that David Kohn mentions in his NYTimes article, “Let Kids Learn Through Play”.

Similarly, Keating et al (2000) reported the dilemma facing teachers who are required to provide continual recorded evidence of learning and achievement to both parents and professionals. So, should teaching professionals encourage quality learning through active play, which is often difficult to formally assess compared to the readily assessable written tasks, or should we choose more formal work which may sacrifice the quality of the child's learning experience? The current focus on the expectations of achievement that I have observed, and have suffered scrutiny of, has highlighted a perception of play being somehow inferior and supplementary to learning rather than as an important medium of learning in its own right. Keating (2000) believed that through observing child initiated play, especially in its recreational form, play may not directly relate to better cognition as measured in SATs tests, but conversely, can foster other important abilities, such as persistence, self-esteem, task-orientation, creativity and positive attitudes to learning. Then, if play highlights so many important learning aptitudes within the classroom, what does or should good practice entail?

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-