What Is Play?


It has been documented that play plays a crucial role in the development of healthy, confident and interested learners ( Bruner 1972, Katz 1987, Isenburg & Quisenberry 1988, Kantrowitz & Wingert 1989, Schickendanz 1990).

Although it is simple to compile a list of play activities, it is much more difficult to define play. Scales, et al., (1991) called play "that absorbing activity in which healthy young children participate with enthusiasm and abandon" (p. 15). Csikszentmihalyi (1981) described play as "a subset of life..., an arrangement in which one can practice behavior without dreading its consequences" (p. 14). Garvey (1977) gave a useful description of play for teachers when she defined play as an activity which is:

1) positively valued by the player;

 2) self-motivated;

3) freely chosen;

4) engaging;

5)"has certain systematic relations to what is not play"

For optimum learning, play must happen within the criteria of

•   Safe environments

•   Appropriate play materials, equipment and role models

•   Planned and appropriate outdoor environments

Active Learning

What Is Active Learning?

Active learning—the direct and immediate experiencing of objects, people, ideas, and events—is a necessary condition for cognitive restructuring and hence for development. Put simply, young children learn concepts, form ideas, and create their own symbols or abstractions through self-initiated activity—moving, listening, searching, feeling, manipulating. Such activity, carried on within a social context in which an alert and sensitive adult is a participant-observer, makes it possible for the child to be involved in intrinsi- cally interesting experiences that may produce contradictory conclusions and a consequent reorganization of the child’s understanding of his or her world.

While children interact with materials, people, ideas, and events to construct their own understanding of reality, adults observe and interact with children to discover how each child thinks and reasons. Adults strive to recognize each child’s particular interests and abilities, and to offer the child appropriate support and challenges. This adult role is complex and develops grad- ually as the adult becomes more adept at recognizing and meeting each child’s developmental needs. Basically, adults support children by . . .

•       Organizing environments and routines for active learning

•      Establishing a climate for positive social interactions

•      Encouraging children’s intentional actions, problem solving, and verbal reflection

•     Observing and interpreting the actions of each child in terms of the developmental principles embodied in the High/Scope key experiences

•      Planning experiences that build on the child’s actions and interests

For more information go to: http://www.ecdgroup.com/download/gh1eycxi.pdf