While there is no one definition of play, there are a number of agreed characteristics that describe play. Play can be described as:. Once you have decided what play means to you, you should next ask yourself, why play-based learning? What is it about play that makes it so important? Play has a long and detailed research history that dates back to the work of Locke and Rosseau. While research on brain development is in its infancy, it is believed that play shapes the structural design of the brain.
We know that secure attachments and stimulation are significant aspects of brain development; play provides active exploration that assists in building and strengthening brain pathways. The intellectual and cognitive benefits of playing have been well documented. Physically active play allows children to test and develop all types of motor skills.
It promotes significant health and wellbeing benefits. Centres that were found to have a high-quality, play-based learning program incorporated:. One of the greatest benefits of playing is to assist with the development of social competence.
Children can build relationships, learn to resolve conflicts, negotiate and regulate their behaviours. In play, children usually have increased feelings of success and optimism as they act as their own agents and make their own choices. Playing is a known stress release; it is often linked to child wellbeing. The dispositions for learning, such as curiosity, openness, optimism, resilience, concentration, and creativity SACSA, , are developed in play.
Playing is linked to the development of resilience and the beginnings of empathy as children begin to understand other points of view. However, not all play is kind or inclusive, so educators have to act accordingly to ensure that play is not harmful. How can quality play-based learning take place effectively? Then, together with families, they plan carefully how to use play-based activities as one tool to promote the learning that will achieve the EYLF outcomes.
Planning the environment to assist children to achieve outcomes is important in providing quality play experiences. The environment can be intentionally planned in four main ways:. Early childhood educators need to be articulate, to be able to justify clearly, provide evidence for and proclaim the benefits of play-based learning.
The EYLF is based on sound, proven early childhood pedagogy and practice principles. However, for the EYLF to be implemented properly, all early childhood educators need to know what play is, why it is important, how to implement and assess a play-based program and their role in it. What research tells us about the ways young children learn. However, experts such as Gunilla Dahlberg et al. Fleer's work with Australian aboriginal children challenges Western experts as to whether it is ideal to encourage play. She suggests that, "the children she studied did not play, and that it is not necessary for them to do so".
Play is sufficiently important to the United Nations that it has recognized it as a specific right for all children. Play also contributes to brain development.
Learning occurs when children play with blocks, paint a picture or play make-believe. During play children try new things, solve problems, invent, create, test ideas and explore. Children need unstructured, creative playtime; in other words, children need time to learn through their play. According to Pascel, "Play is serious business for the development of young learners.
This is such an important understanding.
Why play-based learning?
It has been acknowledged that there is a strong link between play and learning for young children, especially in the areas of problem solving, language acquisition, literacy, numeracy and social, physical, and emotional skills. Young children actively explore their environment and the world around them through learning-based play.
When they engage in sociodramatic play, they learn how to cope with feelings, how to bring the large, confusing world into a small, manageable size; and how to become socially adept as they share, take turns and cooperate with each other. As children learn through purposeful, quality play experience, they build critical basic skills for cognitive development and academic achievement. These include verbalization, language comprehension, vocabulary, imagination, questioning, problem-solving, observation, empathy, co-operation skills and the perspectives of others.
Through play, children learn a set of skills: It is argued that these skills are better learned through play than through flashcards or academic drills. According to Linda Longley and colleagues, experts and parents have different beliefs about the relationship between play activities and learning. While parents ascribe more learning value to structured play activities e. In , the DCSG outlined several benefits of the playful learning approach in the Early Years setting, including 1 that playful children use and apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in different ways and in different contexts; and 2 playful practitioners use many different approaches to engaging children in activities that help them to learn and to develop positive dispositions for learning.
This guidance goes on to state:. Practitioners can and should plan for children's play, however, by creating high quality learning environments, and ensuring uninterrupted periods for children to develop their play" [36]. The variety of play children engage in also increases when adults join in.
Why play-based learning? (free article) - Early Childhood Australia
The joining in is different from controlling. However, many such findings may be reflective of procedural knowledge rather than declarative knowledge. Regarding creativity, meta-analysis has shown unconvincing evidence of pretend play enhancing creativity. Pretend play, also known as "make-believe play" involves acting out ideas and emotions. Children act out stories that contain different perspectives and ideas.
Although some studies show that this type of play does not enhance child development, others have found that it has a large impact on children's language usage and awareness of the perspectives of others. Pretend play can also help with a child's self-regulation in the areas of civility, delayed gratification, empathy, and reduced aggression. It can also improve social skills such as empathy, problem solving, and communication.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting. Citing sources Citing multiple pages of the same source. April Learn how and when to remove this template message. Good practice in early years foundation stages. For Babies, Toddlers and Young Children 2nd ed. Work, Play, and Learning. A Mayan Midwife and Town. Play and Culture Studies.
Learning through play
Laurance Erlbraum Associates, Inc. Helping Young Children Through Play: Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years. The Development of Children. CCL, , p. Playing around in school: Implications for learning and educational policy. Pellegrini Ed , Handbook of the Development of Play pp. Fostering mathematical thinking through playful learning. Retrieved 11 June The impact of teacher-directed and child-directed pretend play on cognitive competence in kindergarten children. Early Childhood Education Journal Vol. Parents' and experts' perceptions of play in the 21st century.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, Play, learning and the early childhood curriculum. Play in the primary school classroom?