Ways Teachers Extend and Enrich Play
Reconsider the previous example, in Field Notes 5.5, about the construction site and subsequent pretend play that took place in the classroom and on the playground. Identify ways the classroom teacher’s attitudes and actions supported and extended the children’s dramatic play. Use the suggestions from the checklist for extending and enriching pretend play experiences to guide your assessment. |
Space
Provide ample space for indoor and outdoor play. Organize and equip learning environments based on children’s developmental levels and their interests. Make intentional decisions about how to optimize children’s play experiences and adventures (Kieff & Casbergue, 2000; McLane, 2003).
Design flexible play environments that adapt to children’s
| By providing a flexible environment and storage for various play and learning materials, you will help your early childhood learners make the most of playtime.
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spontaneous and creative ideas, while also considering safety and supervision issues. Provide nearby storage for the host of |
Comstock/Thinkstock props, books, and resources that children might want to incorpo-
rate into their play scenarios. Mix it up—play with traditionally indoor materials outdoors and with outdoor materials indoors.
Section 5.5 The Teacher’s Role in Supporting Play CHAPTER 5
Section 5.5 The Teacher’s Role in Supporting Play CHAPTER 5
Section 5.5 The Teacher’s Role in Supporting Play CHAPTER 5
Chapter Summary
Time
Provide sufficient blocks of time for play every day and throughout the day. Based on her research, McLane (2003) notes there is sometimes a gap between what teachers say they believe about play and their actual classroom practices for supporting play. Therefore, it is important that the message about the value of play be reflected throughout the environment not only in its physical dimensions but also in its temporal dimensions. Highquality play requires large blocks of time with few interruptions. The actual amount of time depends upon the children’s ages, developmental levels, interests, and needs (Jones, 2011). Daily schedules should set aside designated time periods for play as well as time for transitions between play and other less active experiences.
Adopt a flexible schedule that supports spontaneous play. Teaching young children is a dynamic process because young children are lively and spontaneous. Each day they awaken with a whole new set of adventures awaiting them. Rigid, inflexible time schedules are seldom appropriate in early childhood learning environments. Instead, wellplanned schedules provide safe and predictable routines that can be tweaked as needed.
Advocacy
Be a play advocate; convince others of the intrinsic value of play. Arm yourself with information about the benefits play provides for children. Take time to continue to grow as a play advocate by reading about play in journals and books. Join an online discussion group on play advocacy through professional organizations for teachers. McLane (2003) cautions that many educators are not fully aware of the connections between play and development; therefore, it is difficult for them to convince others of the value of play.
Draw attention to children’s play-based learning and high-quality social interactions by displaying photographs of them playing and include captions quoting the children’s conversations and questions. Provide access to articles and brochures that tout the benefits of play. Include quotes from notable individuals, such as those listed in Table 5.2, in written messages and newsletters that are sent home with children. Find ways to share amusing or touching anecdotes about their children’s play in your daily face-to-face contacts with family members. Offer suggestions for extending and enriching play at home.
Finally, don’t forget to personally experience the benefits of play firsthand by playing! Play is important for all ages. Einstein (see Table 5.2) never quit, and any number of other researchers and theorists have made their best discoveries while playing (Wassermann, 2000).
Chapter Summary
primary aim of this chapter has been to argue for the importance of play in the lives of young children. Although research has demonstrated the many ways in which play provides developmental advantages for children, the politics and culture of the time construct many roadblocks to its presence in the home, center, and
A
Concept Check
classroom. Some of the points that follow are more than review; they are a call to advocacy on the part of caregivers and teachers.
· Even though an activity is fun and enjoyable, it is not necessarily play if it is teacher chosen and directed.
· Play is a freely chosen, pleasurable activity that may include elements of make-believe.
· Classical theories of play, while not currently accepted, provided the foundations for today’s research-based theories.
· Play is essential to children’s health.
· Play fosters children’s development physically, psychologically, and cognitively.
· There are many types of play including physical play, constructive play, and dramatic play.
· Teachers play an important role in supporting play by both their attitudes and actions.