“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” – Fred Rodgers.
Play is a huge part of a child’s life and is the main way in which they will learn and develop. They become engrossed in play as it focuses on their own interests, something they have chosen to do. Children begin to develop skills for life through play, such as language, emotional understanding, creativity and social skills by mirroring behaviours from their peers and adults. Play can support children to be adventurous, take risks and become imaginative. Every play experience is fun and exciting! Play is also where children will learn how to problem solve independently and may work with their peers to do so.
At Little Owls children learn through play every hour of the day, this might be child led or through ‘Planning In The Moment’. We as staff aim to extend each child’s learning by making some small input into their play. For example, this week the children were roleplaying “ice-cream shops” so staff added shaving foam into the resources which allowed the children’s to extend the sensory experience. This led to further discussion about the number of scoops children were giving out and encouraged the children to find different sized bowls to hold their “ice creams”.
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