Allowing children to engage freely in their environment fosters significant developmental benefits. Through unstructured play, children improve their negotiation and information-sharing skills, becoming more independent and proficient in problem-solving.
4 Areas of HDLH? (How Does Learning Happen?) and Relationships between Child, Educator and Parents
Expression
A child who is able to communicate with others to express themselves in many different ways.
Belonging
The goal of belonging is getting children to feel comfortable around caretakers and other children. Knowing that they can rely on people such as parents, relatives or guardians helps children develop better.
Well-Being
Studies suggest that early childhood experiences, whether good or bad, can actually impact the child’s health and well-being.
Engagement
Engagement refers to when a child is genuinely interested to what one is doing.
Block Space
Dramatic Space
Manipulating/Cognitive Space
Book/Quiet Space
Science/Sensory Space
Art/Creative Space
Culturally Appropriate
Age Appropriate
Individually Appropriate
Piaget/Smilanksy' 4 Cognitive Stages of Play
Functional/Sensorimotor Play
Occurs in the first two years of an infant. Their reflexes develop and try to sense unfamiliar sensations they have not felt before. Additionally, they learn cause and effect (it's bad if you fall from a high place like the couch).
Symbolic/Dramatic Play
Children utilize pretend play and get involved in a lot of dramatic play with roles, acting and instructions. Moreover, children make objects work through their own imagination.
Constructive Play
Children feel powerful and are finally able to use their imagination in their own ways in order to create an object. Children create rules, play with others and communicate with educators efficiently
Games with Rules
These games are usually played and understood better with school-aged children. They develop instructions when inventing a game or they play famous games that they have discovered over their childhood like Hide & Seek, Tag, etc.
Parten developed 6 Stages of Social Play
Solitary Play
Child plays alone and does not share any toys. Child at this stage also does not communicate or interact with the other children as much (rarely)
Onlooker Behavior
Observes other children playing, but does not get involved in activities. Children at this behavior usually hang out around adults more.
Unoccupied Behavior
No engagement in play and don't have a particular goal in mind
Parallel Play
Toddlers/preschoolers focus on their play and sit besides each other. However, they talk very loudly about random topics - more or not the same. They also use the same types of toys while sitting besides each other.
Associative Play
Children are on the same topic and interact a lot with the same toys. If a child sees another one of their friends playing with something interesting, then that child will join his/her friend and play together.
Cooperative Play
Children play together (older preschoolers), share materials or toys, and most importantly, they communicate with each other frequently.
Allows children to play freely and explore by themselves the environment around them
They become more independent and have better problem-solving skills than most children who play games under rules that limit their creativity
Children learn how to negotiate and share information based on what types of activities they have done in free play