Play in Learning Environment

Question: Discuss about the Play in Learning Environment. Answer: The Early Childhood Setting Children aged between three and five years are natural learners, and physical activities act as the fundamental basis for their well-being, health and development. Under circumstances where children enjoy playing, they are presented with enhanced capacity to express their desires, feelings and eventually learn new things (McLachlan et al., 2013). The environment of play strengthens the childs natural learning process, helps to overcome social challenges and motivates the childs morale (Curtis Carter, 2014). The learning environment takes into account individual learning style. Suitable environments that allow children to carry out physical activities through playing, in addition, awaken the childs enthusiasm to learn new things. Through this process, they are inspired to develop their present set of skills (Sandberg Vuorinen, 2008). Rationale and Questions for the Project Interest The proposed play project is targeted for children in Queensland, Australia, of age between 3 and five years. Learning opportunities would be provided to the children through play ideas. The activities would promote the learning through different forms of play. Learning experiences would explore the creativity, imagination and sense of the children while building significant developmental skills (Strong-Wilson Ellis, 2007). The aim of the proposed play project would be to create a suitable environment that would ensure that the maximum potential of each child is utilised for learning through play. Learning would be fostered through authentic experiences of the children and nurturing of respectful relationships. The goal would be to build up a strong relationship between children and their families based on mutual respect on affection (Fasoli et al., 2010). Children would attain, be successful and learn through caring and heart-warming relationships. It is understood that parents are the childs first teachers and this matter would be considered throughout the project (Weissman Hendrick, 2013). How will the Play Project Encompass Play as a tool for learning- The project encompasses a set of play activities that help children to learn colours, numbers, shapes, words and sizes. The activities that would be included in the project are as follows: Measurement length activity- This would be a hands-on chance for children to measure a wide range of pictures and record their answers. The aim would be to successfully compare the lengths of different pictures with the help of language related to length measurement. Sensory exploration with sand- This would be helpful in the promotion of imaginative play. Different props would help in changing learning experiences. It would aid in sensory development and language development. Balancing balls fine motor fun- This would be an inviting and playful way of developing the fine motor as well as hand-eye coordination skills with the help of fun resources. The different ideas would encompass sorting colours and matching colours. These would develop concentration, creativity, and fine motor development (Johnson et al., 2005). Fine motor work station- Creating patterns with buttons would be enjoying for children as they have a proper hands-on activity that is motivating and engaging. The activity would be based upon simple and easy-to-use work station. This would promote fine motor as well as coordination skills. Creative sand art activity- This certain activity would be open-ended and children of all ages can participate in this activity. Each child would be allowed to demonstrate its own landscapes with sand and other materials (Fleer et al., 2013). Measurement mathematics centre activities- This would be for enabling the children to compare between objects with the help of simple mathematics calculation. The activities would create an environment for applying basic calculation skills. Counting the dominoes- This would provide a great learning experience as children can have excellent manipulation of number sense and improve their mathematics skills (Steinberg, 2011). The environment- The environment would be made facilitating the play activities through children-friendly approaches. Rich and developmentally apposite environments for learning would be achieved through engagement of all concerned stakeholders at all levels. A calm and peaceful environment would be created that so that children can open up and express their desires while playing and learning (Spodek Saracho, 2014). The role of adult- The family members of the children would take part in the play activities along with the children so as to enhance the learning process. The child-parent relation would be stronger eventually, paving the way for maximal learning opportunities. Parents would encourage the children with the activities. Socio/cultural teaching and learning and advocacy- The distinct and separate processes of development and learning would be intertwined and embedded in the play activities. The children would develop their skills, not in isolation; rather they would develop their skills through the valued relationships within their own family (Weissman Hendrick, 2013). How to Go About the Play Project The project would be implemented at the community childcare centres in Queensland. Interested parents can register with their details at the centres and be a part of this project. The project would run for three months, with sessions being conducted four days in a week. The funding for the project would be received from the Department of Childcare. How to Acknowledge Childrens Voices and Encourage their Participation The best way of acknowledging the voices of the children and encouraging participation would be to get involved in an informal conversation with the children. This would help in understanding the challenges that might be faced while taking part in the activities (Bodrova Leong, 2007). Resources The play activities would require a wide range of resources that would be bought for setting up the play area. Best quality resources would be used for ensuring the safety of the children. Proper allocation of resources would be crucial. Illustrations/Evidence to Collect to Portray and Evaluate the Learning Feedback would be taken from the parents regarding the improvement of the children pertaining to their learning on a regular basis. This would be done with the help of a close-ended questionnaire with a set of questions. Quantitative analysis would help in the identification of the areas of further improvement in the project. How to Present What is Learned A pamphlet would be created based on the information collected and the analysis of data and distributed among the parents. Set of recommendations would be outlined that can help parents to consider further participation in play projects (Bodrova, Leong, 2005). References Bodrova, E., Leong, D. J. (2005). High quality preschool programs: What would Vygotsky say?.Early Education and Development,16(4), 435-444. Bodrova, E., Leong, D. J. (2007). Tools of the mind, the Vygotskian approach to early childhood development. Curtis, D., Carter, M. (2014).Designs for living and learning: Transforming early childhood environments. Redleaf Press. Fasoli, L., Wunungmurra, A., Ecenarro, V., Fleet, A. (2010). Playing as becoming: Sharing Australian Aboriginal voices on play. Fleer, M. (2013).Play in the early years. Cambridge University Press. Johnson, J. E., Christie, J. F., Wardle, F. (2005).Play, development, and early education. Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. McLachlan, C., Fleer, M., Edwards, S. (2013).Early childhood curriculum: Planning, assessment, and implementation. Cambridge University Press Sandberg, A., Vuorinen, T. (2008). Dimensions of childhood play and toys.Asia?Pacific Journal of Teacher Education,36(2), 135-146. Spodek, B., Saracho, O. N. (2014).Handbook of research on the education of young children. Routledge. Steinberg, S. R. (2011).Kinderculture. ReadHowYouWant. com. Strong-Wilson, T., Ellis, J. (2007). Children and place: Reggio Emilia's environment as third teacher.Theory into practice,46(1), 40-47. Weissman, P., Hendrick, J. (2013).The whole child: Developmental education for the early years. Pearson Higher Ed.