Learning Opportunities

Educators have come to realize the importance of play and its essential role in the growth of all domains of early human development. Through play, children gain the experiences needed to make discoveries and connections essential for developing cognitive abilities while also deepening abilities to relate socially and emotionally. Play is a natural process that if carefully facilitated, will provide the experiences necessary for healthy early development which in turn, enhances the chances of success when children begin formal schooling.

This session is designed to give teachers practical ideas for incorporating play into their planning and teaching. Together, we will explore 12 distinct forms of play linking their relevance to a child’s early development. We will examine components of a “play based classroom” and compare it to a content based classroom and use what we learn as a starting point for adapting or redesigning play possibilities into our classroom.

We will also touch on the essential documents teachers need to be aware of in order to answer questions from colleagues, administrators and parents with regards to teaching young learners in a play based environment.

The second part of this session is designed to accommodate collaboration and discussion related to the teacher’s role in facilitating a play based classroom. We will deepen our understanding of critical elements of play based design by exploring 4 pathways essential for learning through play. We will also examine several examples of centres, spaces and opportunities for developing early years learning competencies through 12 types of play.  Finally, we will have an opportunity to reflect on our current classroom design with a view towards possibly making changes or accommodations to either our classroom environment or program design.