EAS904: Play in Early Childhood

 I learned much from our recent sessions on setting up a Play-Based Learning Environment. It completely changed the way I think about how the space in a classroom affects the quality of learning. I used to think of a classroom as four walls but now I see that the environment is like a teacher that helps kids learn. One of the important things I learned was during a small group activity, we worked together to draw a classroom layout based on what we have seen in schools. This made me realize that designing a classroom is not just about making it look nice but about creating a space that helps kids learn. We need to make sure that the different areas of the classroom work together like where kids can play with blocks and where they can read and use their imagination. I also learned that the way we set up the classroom can help prevent problems and make it easier for kids to explore to  build with blocks, read and use their imagination.  Be loud without disturbing their frie...

This session completely changed how I think about the classroom layout showing me that a classroom that is set up on purpose can be like a "third teacher". When I think about our class discussions and our recent visit to the Rinpung ECCD Centre. I now understand that a good learning environment is not just about how it looks but about creating a safe space where kids can learn, with flexible time and areas that are carefully planned. At the Rinpung Centre, I saw this idea in action with their indoor learning areas. I was really impressed by how they made the room look nice and flow well. For example they used Jim Greenmans ideas about what kids need. They separated areas that might conflict with each other. They allocated different spaces for different activities. Not only that they have arranges all the materials in an organized way and arrange in a way that students can easily take, use and keep the materials back. To promote our rich cultures, they have also kept a few col...

This session really changed my thinking about early childhood education. I used to think that play was a fun break from learning.. Now I see that play is actually the foundation of early learning. The fact that 90% of brain development happens before age five is amazing. It means we should not wait until formal school starts to help a child learn. Play helps a child to develop emotionally, socially, physically, also in cognitive and language development. not also that it has many educational benefits.   During our World Cafe activity, where we looked at the ECCD Curriculum Frameworks learning domains I saw how true the phrase "One Play, Many developments" is. I thought about an activity like Sand Play. A child is learning math and physics when they measure and pour sand. At the time they are learning social skills like taking turns and being kind to others when they share buckets and space with friends.  From a standpoint play helps connect a child thinking center with th...

 The session on play development from 5 to 8 years helped me understand how kids grow and learn through types of play. I learned that play helps kids develop physically socially, emotionally and intellectually. The discussion on characteristics of kids aged 5 to 8 made me realize that at this stage kids are curious, active and love to explore their surroundings. They learn best when they do things that make sense and get their hands dirty.  One activity I really enjoyed was working with a group to discuss how teachers can promote types of play in the classroom. My group focused on play and we thought that using role-play materials and everyday objects would be great for encouraging imagination and creativity. This activity helped me see how important it is to create play-based learning experiences using materials that are easily available. I also found the di scussion on parts play really interesting. Learning that kids can use materials like sticks, stones and recycled stuff ...

 The session on theories of play was really helpful for me because I found out that play is not just for having fun. It is also a big part of how children learn and grow. When we talked about what play means I learned that children get better at working with others controlling their feelings thinking clearly and moving their bodies when they have play experiences. One thing I really liked was the group activity. We got to look at new and really new ideas about play using things we read listened to and watched. My group talked about how people like Parton thought about the stages of play. This made me think about how important it's to make classrooms where children get to be in charge and play is a big part of learning. Talking about what we did for fun when we were kids was really special for me. Sharing stories reminded me of games we used to play that taught us to work together be creative and solve problems. We also talked about how hard it's for kids to play today because ...

  What is Play? In our first week -February 23rd.  I learned a lot about what play is. The talk about play was helpful because I found out that play is not about having fun. We talked about what play means and how it helps kids with their bodies, feelings, emotions and thinking. I liked when we shared stories about when we were kids and what w e used to do for fun. Hearing about what my classmate did when they were kids made me think about my childhood and the games I used to play. I remembered how playing with my friends helped me work with others talk to people and figure out problems without knowing I was learning. These memories made me think about play in a way and it made more sense because it was connected to my own life. We also talked about the problems with play nowadays. Some of the problems we talked about were that there are not outdoor spaces kids use technology too much they have to study a lot and they do not have enough time to just play. This made me think ab...