When children learn through play they learn valuable skills for social, physical and cognitive development. During play children are exploring, creating, solving problems, risk taking, and using their imagination.
Play-based learning naturally engages curiosity and provides an environment to help children organize and make sense of and engage with their world and those around them.
In schools, through play based learning environments educators support opportunities for children to engage with their surroundings.
Here are five ways play based learning helps your child succeed.
Social and Emotional Skills
Through play children develop the skills to develop relationships with their peers. Playing together, taking turns, sharing toys, cooperating, communicating effectively, solving problems and of course resolving conflicts! All essential skills for life.
Through play, children also learn to recognize emotions in themselves and others and how to manage these and develop empathy.
Language and Literacy Development
One of the more significant periods of a child’s vocabulary development is in their pre-school years. Play based learning supports and encourages conversations in a natural way this supporting the development of early literacy and language development.
Even when a child is playing on their own, you will notice that they are often talking to themselves. This may be narrating a story of the toys they are interacting with, or role-playing multiple sides of conversations.
When playing with other children they engage in storytelling, negotiation, role taking and goal sharing. For example, deciding to cook dinner for their family in their play kitchen children negotiate the food they will cook, and decide who will cook the food, who will be mom, dad and the baby (or the cat!)
Teacher support this language development by encouraging conversation, introducing vocabulary and asking and encouraging questions.
Creativity and Imagination
Creativity and imagination are skills which we learn and develop. It often seems so natural for children to be imaginative and creative.
Play enables to children to live out and practice different real and imagined lives. This explains why the self-directed aspect of play-based learning is so important; children freely choose the environment in which they want to explore and be imaginative and creative.
While pretending to be a doctor, vet, mother, or teacher, sticks, boxes and string spark a child’s imagination to be used as knives, houses and hair. This enables them to creatively problem solve, be creative and resilient adapting their play to the available resources around them.
Courage
Courage or being brave and trying new things is one of the most important aspects that play-based learning develops in children. Play and choice encourage children to engage in what they are learning and develops independence in their learning.
Learning at their own pace through play helps children develop a positive attitude towards learning, without the pressure of an end result. This focus on the process encourages enjoyment in learning without stress.
Motor Skills
Children learn to develop fine and gross motor skills as they engage in play. Painting, drawing, building and role play encourage the development of fine motor skills. Climbing, jumping, running and throwing develop gross motor skills.
Deciding on a play-based learning program for your children
You have decided that play based learning is how you want your children to learn. The following tips will help you assess the right program to support your child.
- Does the school have indoor and outdoor play areas?
- Ask about the schedule, are there extended period of uninterrupted play
- Look to see whether there are a variety of spaces and materials your child can play with. This may include a light room, sensory bins, role play areas
- Speak to the teachers to understand how children’s interests are included into learning
- Check that opportunities are available for individual and group play
- Assess whether there are sufficient opportunities for children to decide on their play experiences.
