Children love play! I know you can confirm this fact for sure! In this article we would be going through practical ways to encourage our kid’s learning through play, but first what is play?
Play has so many definitions but to mention a few:
A technical definition is this one by Friedrich Froebel “Play is a concept where children organize and make sense of their social words as they engage actively with people, objects and representations”
And my favourite is “Play is the work of a child” by Maria Montessori.
The amazing fact about is that it is beneficial to the child, parents and educators.
How you may ask? Well the benefits of play for the child include Language skills (reading), development of social and emotional skills (sharing and taking turns), creativity and imagination (dramatic play, LEGO blocks), brain development and the simple truth that play is a cherished part of childhood.
The benefits of play for parents and educators include bonding time with the child and seeing things at their level for a better relationship.
While a child is playing, a child is learning and so it is important to encourage learning through play in the homes and schools by inculcating the following:
Creating a “Yes” space– parents and educators should create a space(s) for playing and learning that the child can go to. This space(s) will have their stuff (toys/ materials) for play so there is less use of the words “No” and “Don’t”. It teaches the child to be responsible as they learn to take care of the space by clearing up afterwards.
De-cluttering: Children get easily bored and sometimes over stimulated when they have many toys and a parent has to be intentional about buying toys/ materials. There is therefore a need to declutter by sorting toys and taking out those that are old and worn, bad and toys that haven’t been touched in a long while. They can be donated to charity or sold as thrifts.
Toy rotation: This has to do with storage of toys and bringing them out when needed especially with the use of “Themes”. If a theme for the week is perhaps “Transportation”, we bring out toys/ materials related to it like toy cars, books on transportation, sensory bin, etc. Do note that the child’s favourite toy can stay as a constant to avoid upsetting the child.
Teaching independence: We can help the child become independent by providing things that will aid independence like child sized chairs and tables, low shelving units for books, toys and materials or baskets/cartons, child sized toilets or potty seats, low wash hand basin or a stool to reach the sink.
Books: Books are very important for language skills and help a child learn just about anything.
Outdoors: The great outdoors has a lot of concrete objects we can use for teaching. Learning about the environment is also important. Take the child on a road trip, a walk, smell the flowers, visit the bank, marketplace, etc
Healthy Lifestyle: Health is wealth and a child needs to be healthy in order to learn at all. A child can also learn through eating healthy meals (preparation, identification of fruits and vegetables, objects in the home/kitchen, preparation of simple meals, etc), exercise, good sleep routine and reduction of screen time which is not limited to the television alone.
DOES YOUR KID HAVE A “YES” SPACE? LET’S GIST…