Play There are various different types of play that are essential for a child’s development. Learning through play is a fantastic way of keeping your child interested and focused, whilst having fun. Below I have listed the 7 types of play, according to the Early Years Foundation Stage - EYFS (the body that regulates education curriculum) which are incorporated in all schools and nurseries in the United Kingdom; •Communication and Language; •Physical Development; •Personal, Social and Emotional Development; •Literacy; •Mathematics; •Understanding of the world; •Expressive arts and design. I will explain each type of play over the next few weeks, giving examples of techniques that you can incorporate into your child’s day to encourage further development in each area of learning. Communication and Language; includes encouraging your child to express themselves through language, teaching them how to listen to others and providing an environment which will benefit and widen their vocabulary. •Talk as much as possible; explain what you are doing as you are going about your day and what events are coming next during the course of day. Try to get into a good routine and discuss each step along the way, such as; brushing teeth, putting on clothes, eating breakfast etc. Children enjoy having structure to their day and if you talk to them about their actions they will soon start to associate words with those actions. Try to make it into a game and see if your child can remember what is coming next, or see if you can follow your child’s lead. It might be fun to make a story book about your child’s day and let them draw, colour and explain the day’s events to other family members or friends. •Use parallel talk or self-talk; parallel talk is a method of talking through what your child is doing or feeling, for example; ‘ You have built a tower of 6 blocks, they are all green, they have fallen down and now you are building them back up again, that is very high’. By contrast, self-talk is a method of talking about what you are doing and how you feel, for example; ‘I am going to brush my teeth, this toothpaste is white, my teeth feel nice and clean now’. Parallel and self-talk helps to the child control and a platform to express their thoughts, emotions and feelings; essential for Emotional and Social development. •Read, Read and Read some more!! Children love to read stories, using their imagination and linking pictures to the words. Visit the library, act out scenes from a favourite book or print out some pictures from the story to paint or colour in. Try to encourage books in the car, the high chair or in the bath (bath books!). Make your own books or make a point of going to the book shop as they often have ‘cosy corners’ you can relax in and read. A book before bed can be a special bonding time for parents after a busy day and can relax your child at sleep time. •Music and singing can be fantastic for language development; children learn new words through singing, they will gain an understanding of rhyming words and it encourages dancing and movement. Repetition is often used in nursery rhymes or songs as a way of remembering the words therefore benefiting and broadening memory. •Point to objects and name them when you are outside; talk about the different colours, sizes, textures, shapes of objects that you see. You can play games in the car such as ‘I spy’ or ask your child to try and find ‘3 red cars’ or ‘2 big aeroplanes’ etc. In the park, collect and talk about different leaves, you can then take them home to do something creative with them such as leaf painting or ‘sticking’. •Encourage ‘make believe’ play and role play; finger puppets, toy animals or people allows the child to use their imagination, understand feelings of others and allows them to use different voices, accents and words. Set up different role play situations such as; the shop keeper, doctors surgery, grocery shop, hairdressers and enjoy watching them get into character. Try to get involved and join in the game yourself, giving them the chance to explain the game and the rules that need to be followed. Finger puppets can be great for acting out songs or stories, a fun activity to do would be to make a stage out of cardboard boxes, paint it and act out the story with your puppets. •Shop and cook together; write a list, talk about the ingredients that you need and buy at the supermarket. Talk about the different foods that you see, colours, shapes and let your child help to choose what you need. Toddlers in particular often enjoy this as they like the new found freedom of now having to sit in the trolley or pushchair! Using your ingredients plan to make cakes, cookies or their favourite foods and discuss smell, texture and taste of each item. Every child I have looked after has thoroughly enjoyed getting involved in cooking… as they know that they will be eating it! •As a final thought, remember; it is important to try and speak slowly to your child. Be patient and be a good listener. Get down to their level, when speaking to the child. Involve yourself in their games. Limit television time! Allow your child to play with opposite gender specific toys and most importantly ultimately have fun! Look out for my next post which will cover Physical development and its importance for your child’s growth and education. Thanks, Sophie.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:36:04 +0000
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