Unit 7Play and Learning

in Children’s Education

Aim

Understand how to support children’s play

Objectives To describe ‘What is play?’

To explain what P.I.L.E.S. stands for

To name the different types of play

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.

Play helpsPlay helps

Play helpsDevelops

communication

Develops imagination

Gives a sensory experience

Concentration skills

Develops creativity

Explore their interests

Play helps

children have fun

Express emotions

Develop KUW

Develops PSRN

Helps develop social skills

Develops fine and gross motor skills

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

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’.

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.

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?

• 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

Activity

Activity 6.2 AnswersPhysical Manipulative Exploratory Imaginative Creative

Bats/Balls Clay/Modelling Corn flour Dressing up Modelling –recycled materials

Trikes/bikesscooters

Board games Water Role Play Painting

Construct o straws Sand Puppets Collage

Wooden blocks

Jigsaws Natural Materials Fuzzy felt pictures

Threading Outside Trains -Tracks Music

Lego/Duplo Heuristic Play Garage cars Drama

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

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).

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).

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.

Exploratory play

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

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.

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

Child Development

• P= physicalI=intellectualL=languageE=emotionalS=social

Lesson Recap

• Each taking turns to say what you have learnt today!

• Try and not to repeat what someone else has said.