Promoting Your Child’s Learning Through Play Go Play Promoting Your Child’s Learning Through Play © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click Play is Learning Playing with your child is not only fun, it’s one of the most important ways you can nurture development. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Play happens… In the everyday moments you share with your child. Click Play happens… In the everyday moments you share with your child. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click Time to Play! “Play” doesn’t necessarily mean an organized activity or a dedicated period of “quality time.” Play – and learning – can happen anytime you are with your child. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

What do children learn through play? Me!! Click What do children learn through play? Take this short quiz and find out! Does this mean it can’t happen when the child is alone?? © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

True or False Flashcards, educational computer games, and “brain development” videos accelerate young children’s learning. False © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

False: Classes & Flashcards Me!! Click False: Classes & Flashcards Babies and toddlers have an in-born desire to learn and develop new skills. They do not need structured classes, flashcards, special videos or programmed “teaching time” in order to learn. In addition, there has been no research that has found you can make a child “smarter” by using special toys or activities. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Classes and Flashcards Continued Me!! Click Classes and Flashcards Continued What children do need is lots of time to explore and play in a variety of ways, indoors and out. And they need you to follow their lead, respect their individual style of play, join in their play, and be their coach in making new discoveries. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click Learning Through Play Babies and toddlers learn best when they have loving adults to care for them, and who are responsive to their needs and interests. Babies also learn best when they can play and explore an enriching, interesting, and child-safe environment. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Children learn through play by: Me!! Click Learning Through Play Children learn through play by: Imitating (adults and other children) Observing Experiencing Discovering/exploring Wondering Using one’s senses (touching, hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling) © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Parents offer their children toys based on their child’s gender. True or False Parents offer their children toys based on their child’s gender. True © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click True: Toys and Gender Research show that parents of toddlers react more positively to children who are in gender-traditional play (e. g., girls playing with dolls, having tea parties), and more negatively to children engaged in non-traditional play for the gender (e.g., boys having a tea party or playing with dolls). © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Toys and Gender Continued Me!! Click Toys and Gender Continued This probably reflects dominant cultural beliefs about male and female roles, and shows how early these beliefs and values are communicated to children. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

The amount of outdoor play does not vary among child care settings. True or False The amount of outdoor play does not vary among child care settings. False © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click False: Outdoor Play Research shows that the amount of outdoor play offered to children varies by child care setting, with some children receiving little and others much more. Outdoor play is very important. It helps children develop many physical skills like climbing, jumping, balance, and coordination. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Outdoor Play Continued Me!! Click Outdoor Play Continued Slides, sandboxes, and other play equipment also promote social skills like peer play, friendship- building, language, conflict resolution and negotiation skills. It is important to find out how much time your child will spend in outdoor play when you are looking into child care options. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

True or False Young children who can’t read and write don’t benefit from playing with real “grown-up” materials like paper, envelopes, pens, books, and take-out menus. False © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

False: Literacy Materials Me!! Click False: Literacy Materials Making literacy materials—like paper, envelopes, pens, books, and take-out menus—available in children’s play settings encourages reading and writing to happen in their play. Research shows that playful experimentation with print supports literacy development. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click True or False An 18-month-old can be expected to share toys during a play date. False © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click False: Sharing A recent survey found that about half of parents believe that young toddlers should be able to share (What Parents Know About Children’s Development, ZERO TO THREE, 2000). Sharing is a very complex skill. It requires children to be able to manage their own very strong emotions, to be empathetic and understand how others feel, and to be able to understand time (i.e., waiting for their turn). © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Me!! Click Sharing Continued 18-month-olds simply have not developed the skills they need to succeed with sharing—yet. Parents can help children learn this skill by modeling how to share and by playing turn-taking games (e.g., rolling a ball back and forth). Children begin to grasp the notion of sharing at about age 3 but will still need help occasionally. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Advantages to Play Allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination Builds dexterity, and physical strength helps emotional growth and development Play is important to healthy brain development It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Time for play has dropped over the years. Less play is happening, why? Less recess, push for education Busy lives Dual income homes, less 2 parent homes © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Unoccupied Play The child is relatively stationary and appears to be performing random movements with no apparent purpose. A relatively infrequent style of play. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Solitary Play The child is are completely engrossed in playing and does not seem to notice other children. Most often seen in children between 2 and 3 years-old. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Onlooker Play Child takes an interest in other children’s play but does not join in. May ask questions or just talk to other children, but the main activity is simply to watch. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Toys become symbols for other objects Symbolic Play Toys become symbols for other objects To an infant or a young toddler, a block is a block. If she has more than one, she might stack them or pull them apart. But once she's about 2 years old, she can start using blocks for much more. In her eyes they can become a house, a car, or anything else she wants. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Parallel Play Unlike older children, who interact and communicate directly, toddlers play in parallel. While they may appear to be playing independently, kids this age are keeping an eye on each other's behavior. Parallel play is often a first step in forming strong social relationships outside of the family. Parallel playmates are your child's first friends. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Imaginary Play Among young children, the line between fantasy and reality is delightfully fuzzy. An older toddler or a preschooler can fight dragons or fly to the moon, all without leaving his bedroom. Imaginary friends © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Associative Play Slightly different than parallel play, associative play also features children playing separately from one another, but in this mode of play they are involved with what the others are doing © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

Cooperative Play Preschoolers progress from solitary and parallel play to collaborative play. It's at this stage that your child learns to master important new social skills, such as sharing, taking turns, obeying rules, and negotiating. © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org

© 2004, ZERO TO THREE. All rights reserved © 2004, ZERO TO THREE.   All rights reserved. Contact ZERO TO THREE for all uses: www.zerotothree.org