ADULT DIRECTED PLAY

How do children learn through play?

Child initiated play

Adult initiated play

Discuss in your groups

ADULT DIRECTED PLAY

CHILD DIRECTED PLAY

What forms of play are these?

Feedback

Discuss in groups- feedback

Child Initiated Play

How Children benefit by learning through play

Child led/Child Initiated/Self play/Free play

Adult- Led Play/ Structured Play

Play is essential for children to develop into confident adults who are able to reach their potential.

Play is essential for development.

Every child needs to have the opportunity to explore and experiment . If appropriate play is encouraged, children can benefit by developing their self-esteem and learning

Activities that occur when children make their own decision, without suggestion or guidance from adults, about the way in which they use the equipment and resources provided for them.

Activities that are carefully planned to develop a particular aspect and understanding or skill. Resources are carefully chosen and usually a sequence of steps and tasks are undertaken with the children to ensure a specific learning intention is met.

An adult usually leads, supervises and observes children's learning and development within the activity.

Example of child initiated play

How children play needs change

Childcare practitioners have set up an activity with construction material

Consider how and what children are learning.

As children grow and develop they require more complex, challenging activities to sustain and develop their curiosity and learning.

Outgrown it.

Bored with it.

Easy

Not stimulating enough

Babyish

Mastered it

Probably all the above.

No!

Why not?

Compile a chart and input your information of child preferences of play for the different age ranges

What did you like to play with when you were younger?

What was your favourite toy?

6 months to 1 year

3 years to 5 years

8 years to 11 years

13- 16 years

Do you see how children and young peoples play preferences change as they grow and develop?

In your groups create a spider graph of child initiated activities/learning experiences

In your groups

Explore the toys on your table.

Consider the age range the toys are aimed at

Consider what children would learn from the toys

Consider how an older or younger child would view the toy

Complete a spidergraph depictying toys/activities chidren are interested in for the different age ranges listed below.

0- 1 year

2-4 years

4-6 years

6- 8 years

8- 11 years

11-14 years

14- 16 years

16-19 years

Example of adult initiated play

Use one example of child initiated and adult initiated activities/learning experiences and explain how it supports play and learning .

What interests you now, at the age that you are?

Have you still got your favourite toy?

Do you still play with it?

Make reference to the role of the adult within the activities/learning experiences

The childcare practitioners has asked the children to identify and remove all the blue objects from a box of different coloured objects.

Consider how and what the children are learning

In your groups create a spider graph of adult initiated activities/learning experiences.

Doreen Clark