Early childhood teachers who intentionally support children’s play do so through participation, attitude, providing ample space and time, and advocacy.
Participation
Participate with children as they play. Because play is a deeply personal experience for children, teachers can get to know each child as a unique individual through shared play while building a foundation for strong, enduring relationships. During self-directed playtime, children are at their most natural, without the pressure of meeting adult expectations. Adult participation in play supports meaningful conversations as well as opportunities to spontaneously model oral language (Singer, Golinkoff, & Hirsch-Pasek, 2006; Sutton-Smith, 1997). Children also benefit by broadening their awareness of the important adults in their lives.
During shared play experiences, it is important that adults are nonjudgmental in their comments and reactions to avoid inhibiting children’s freedom of expression and creativity. One way to do this is to take on the role of a minor character and then bow out when appropriate to the plot (Smilansky, 1968). Teachers can also participate indirectly by answering questions, asking open-ended questions, offering suggestions, and listening attentively to children as they share their playtime discoveries. Dramatic play offers an ideal time to scaffold children’s play from outside the play episode by helping children plan and carry out their pretend play scenarios and “try on” various roles (Bordrova & Leong, 2003; Bordrova & Leong, 2007).
Indirect participation in children’s play also offers teachers opportunities to closely observe and document children’s behavior and language use. Take a moment to read about three-year-old Angelica’s behaviors and language during a pretend play scenario. The observation reveals information about Angelica’s motor development, oral language abilities, and cognitive development of concepts, demonstrating again the various uses to which running records can be put.