Why Play is the way to go to help your children learn and grow Presented By: Jen Matl Learning and Behavioral Specialist and Developmental Therapist

Why PLAY? Research done on animals has shown us that play improves memory Essential for survival and learning in nearly every species Stimulates the growth of the cerebral cortex found in the frontal lobe Play and exploration trigger secretion of BDNF, a substance essential for the growth of brain cells Children pay more attention to academic tasks when they are given frequent, brief opportunities for free play (note this is not through physical education classes) An interesting connection between the rise in ADD and ADHD in children due to inactivity and increased exposure to media

What is PLAY? Play is pleasurable. Children must enjoy the activity or it is not play. Play is intrinsically motivated. Children engage in play simply for the satisfaction the behavior itself brings. Play is process oriented. When children play, the means are more important than the ends. Play is freely chosen. It is spontaneous and voluntary. If a child is pressured, he/she will likely not think of the activity as play. Play is actively engaged. Players must be physically and or/mentally involved in the activity. Play is non-literal. It involves make-believe.

Two Types of Play Free Play: kids being kids without adult direction-Interesting note: Countries that have more recess tend to have higher academic performance than countries where recess is less Guided Play: Also known as playful learning.

Sub-Categories of Play Social Play: play that occurs in the interaction of children with adults or other children. Happens in nearly every sub- category of play.*Play with parents assists with a child’s ability to successfully play with peers. Solitary Play 2-2.5 years, child plays alone Parallel play 2.5-3.5 years, children may be engaged in similar activities but they play separately Associative play 3.5-4.5 years, children are playing separately but may share, pay attention to others, and or/communicate with others about their play Cooperative play 4.5 years, children are engaged in play with a common goal and they work cooperatively to achieve the goal

Sub-Categories of play continued Object Play: Active, playful manipulation of objects. This begins as soon as children can pick items up, they explore the object and manipulate them. Examples: throwing a ball Building with blocks

Sub-Categories of play continued Pretend Play: This involves creating alternate realities to the real world. Children can enact different people, places or times, and objects become symbols for what is imagined. (Fein 1981; Lillard, 2011) Examples: symbolic play (a substitute object representing a real one, a child pretending a banana is a phone) Socio-dramatic play: pretend play with a group in which children cooperate and take on complementary characters First emerges around 12 months

Sub-Categories of play continued Physical play: also known as locomotor play or exercise play, involves physical activity in a playful context such as kicking, running, jumping, chasing, and climbing (Pellegrini, 2009)This involves creating alternate realities to the real world. Children can enact different people, places or times, and objects become symbols for what is imagined. (Fein 1981; Lillard, 2011) Media Play: Mixed reviews on this

An Easy way to play with your wee ones How To Create monthly themes for play and Why They Work Presented and Created By: Jen Matl 2017 copyright

What are monthly themes for the home: Monthly themed bins in which you the parent purposefully select various toys, games, and activities targeting growth and development. All selected items pertain to the theme of the month. Example of themes dinosaurs, transportation, Halloween etc. Ziploc baggies are your friend 

Why Themes: Keeps the child engaged Keeps you the parents engaged and purposeful More purposeful and meaningful interactions with the toys, keeps things fresh and exciting-novelty Studies have shown that presenting something 7 times, 7 different ways helps newly acquired skills/knowledge to take up permeant residency in our brains. Therefor, using themes over a month long period helps to create meaningful and substantial learning opportunities.

A Fun and engaging approach to play targeting: Social/Personal development Adaptive development Expressive and Receptive skills Fine and Gross motor skills Cognition

A Scaffolding Approach To Learning Of Which We Build on Each Skill One Step At A Time Step 1 explore Step 2 adult model hand over hand Step 3 Step 4 teach within play Step 5 reciprocal meaningful play

How To Create Themed Bins Select your theme Know and understand the five main domains of growth and development for birth-5 Select activities and know your purpose behind them

Where to get your theme items Your local Dollar Tree Target Dollar Bin Teacher Store Home Goods, Marshals, T.J. Maxx Once Upon A Child Garage Sales Facebook Sales Your pantry

Must Haves You will find a strong element of repetition from month to month when creating your monthly themes Book: new each month Song(s): new each month Movement: Research has shown that movement aides in cognitive growth, especially for the youngest of learners Fine Motor-writing and scissor skills if appropriate

Lets Dive Into My Bin for this month How can we incorporate the five main areas of growth and development into our play, and what types of play is there opportunity for with this bin? Questions??

Thank you for joining me, follow me on Facebook @JenMatlDTThatsMe,pinterest, and youtube Contact Me: E-mail: jen@jenmatl.com Phone: 708-378-5984 Now Booking for 2017