Constructing Play Through Experience
The autumn air was crisp and invigorating as Mr. Cornelius and his 22 first graders walked to the nearby community park to collect natural items such as fallen leaves and seed pods for their classroom nature center. The materials would be used in several science, math, language, and art lessons over the next two weeks. On the way back to school, several of the first graders noticed a fenced-off area where construction workers were busy preparing the ground for a new building. At first, the children’s fascination was focused on the yellow vehicles with the huge tires and other noisy equipment. After a few minutes, Mr. Cornelius made a few subtle comments about the construction crew and the children shifted their attention to include the people operating the machinery. Soon he was answering the children’s rapidfire questions about the construction site and listening to their speculations about what type of building would be constructed. Mr. Cornelius told the class it was time to return to school or they would be late for lunch. In the cafeteria, the children talked more about the construction site than about the leaves and other natural objects they had collected. That day and for the rest of the week, the children’s play episodes, inside the classroom and outside on the playground, centered on their new experience at the construction site. They showed interest in how buildings are made and the workers involved in the construction process. The block area was alive with children’s collaboration in a rich play scenario as they investigated the process, roles, and equipment necessary to construct a building. Their pretend play also pervaded the dramatic play area where the children found a plastic hard hat, a pair of work boots, and some woolen mittens to serve as work gloves. The art and literacy areas had somehow merged and small groups of children drew and lettered large signs like those observed at the construction site. The Library Pass was getting some action too as children requested the librarian’s help in tracking down books about building skyscrapers and other structures. Mr. Cornelius couldn’t help smiling when two boys instructed him on how to put “tools” into his “tool belt,” assuming his interest in helping them. It looked like the leaves were going into the storage tub for a few days; the class apparently had some building to do. |
Attitude
Value play through attitude and action. Establish an emotional climate that values play as a vital ingredient of a quality early childhood program. For example, intentionally arrange both indoor and outdoor spaces to invite play. Establish daily routines and schedules that are flexible enough to adjust to children’s spontaneous play needs. Talk about children’s play with family and staff members and show interest in hearing about children’s play at home and other places.
Experienced early childhood teachers who value play are quite resourceful when it comes to finding ways to extend children’s play experiences. McLane (2003) suggests asking the question, “What might the process of play do for the children in my classroom”? (p. 12). The following checklist provides some surefire suggestions for putting values into action:
· provide diverse experiences for children to inspire new play themes
· encourage imitative role play by drawing children’s attention to diverse roles associated with particular situations and environments
· promote interactions and collaboration among children and among adults and children
· help children locate objects as well as realistic and unstructured props to serve in make-believe capacities
· suggest and model verbal make-believe as substitutes for actions and situations
· model use of verbal communication to extend play scenario
· make children’s fiction and nonfiction books and magazines available to children
· be aware of human and environmental obstacles that might interfere with children’s opportunities to persist in pretend play and role play