After nearly 25-years as an early childhood educator, I have seen time-and-time again, that a child is most receptive to learning when given space to play within a developmentally appropriate environment. By extending lessons into meaningful play experiences, a child’s mind takes hold of crystalizing moments and encourages a life-long love of learning.
What this looks like within the classroom varies, but at the heart, the the key is recognize that each child learns at a pace and style uniquely their own, so playing to learn reaches children in all phases of development. In practice, the child may find:
- Environmental set-ups where loose parts such as beach shells become teacups and petals are used as a way to practice counting, sorting, and finding patterns, the things children easily accesses in nature turn into something wonderful from a child’s point-of-view.
- Journal activities in which the child can communicate through drawing, collage, dictation or tracing, allowing a child to playfully extend stories from the their minds…ultimately leading to writing independently.
- Imaginative dramatic play, assembling ingredients for a recipe with a teacher, or learning songs and rhythms create surprising, special ways to promote early literacy.
In the end, all of these best practices nurture the heart of a child and encourage emotional, physical, social and academic growth.
I love to hear about play spaces that encourage learning. If you have any that work for you, please share them in the comments section below!