21 Teaching Through Play 2

Key Terms active-physical play manipulative-constructive play imitative-imaginative play play therapy language-logic play prop box visual arts manipulative stage scribbling representation stage transparencies percussion instruments rhythm instruments melody percussion instruments

Objective Describe the importance of play and play activities in children’s lives.

Importance of Play Recent research has recognized the importance of play in the development of children physical intellectual social-emotional

Play and Physical Development Improves muscles and nerves Helps heart and lung systems Helps maintain a healthy weight Improves balance and coordination

Play and Intellectual Development Logical concepts Symbol systems Language Humor and creative thinking

Play and Social-Emotional Development Children become aware of others through play develop trusting relationships continued

Play and Social-Emotional Development Teaches concepts of rules, rights of property, sharing, settling disputes Learn acceptable and unacceptable behavior, teamwork, leadership skills Work out feelings and problems

Stages of Play From a few months to 35 months play with objects practice play play with people solitary play onlooker play parallel play continued

Stages of Play From age three through elementary grades play with objects symbolic play play with people associative play continued

Stages of Play Peaks at age 9 or 10 play with objects play with people rule play play with people cooperative play

Types of Play Manipulative- Active-physical constructive Imitative- imaginative Language-logic

Active-Physical Play Active-physical play uses gross-motor skills Through active-physical play, children learn about the space around them learn about objects in this space and the movement of the body improve and test many physical skills learn to become more graceful

Manipulative-Constructive Play Manipulative-constructive play involves fine-motor skills also involves eye-hand coordination Manipulative-constructive play helps children to mentally picture objects also helps children make abstract models of what they see

Imitative-Imaginative Play In imitative-imaginative play, children pretend to be objects or persons other than themselves promotes creativity, planning, problem solving, decision making used in play therapy to help children resolve certain problems continued

Imitative-imaginative Play There are three stages of imitative-imaginative play Imitative play Socio-dramatic play Dramatic play continued

Imitative-Imaginative Play Imitative play begins at about age two symbolic thought Dramatic play begins at about three or four years of age role-playing with more than one child Socio-dramatic play involves five- to seven-year-olds play with a theme

Language-Logic Play Language-logic play is the form of mental play most often seen in school-age children must think ahead and plan strategies object puzzles, word problems, chess

Objective Explain how adults can help children learn through play, art, music, science, and literature.

The Adult’s Role in Children's Play Allow freedom to play Allow time to explore Display the right attitude toward play acknowledge the importance convey the importance to children

Select Toys with Care Infants and toddlers Preschool children texture, sounds, push and pull toys Preschool children gross- and fine-motor materials prop box contains a set of realistic objects related to a certain role School-age children sports equipment, board games, crafts continued

Select Toys with Care Select toys that aid all aspects of development Avoid giving too many toys that do not allow much child involvement or stimulate creativity Plan toys for different play settings indoors, outdoors, travel

Did You Know? The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the governmental office that addresses the safety of products sold in the U.S., including children’s toys.

Objective Give examples of creative activities that stimulate children’s physical, intellectual, and socio-emotional development.

Providing Enrichment Activities for Children Art Music Science Literature

Art Visual arts create products that appeal to the sense of sight Visual arts help children’s development fine-motor skills sensory concepts thinking about the world making choices self-esteem

Stages of Development in Visual Arts In the manipulative stage, children play with art materials rather than use them to create artwork continued

Stages of Development in Visual Arts First step, enjoy art for motor reasons Second step, scribbling (consists of dots, straight and curved lines, loops, spirals, imperfect circles) Third step, use of basic shapes Transition step, create first symbols continued

Stages of Development in Visual Arts In the representation stage, children create symbols that represent objects, experiences, and feelings decides what the symbol is before creating it shows spatial relations among objects draw baseline near bottom of paper draw two or more baselines draw objects perpendicular to baseline continued

Stages of Development in Visual Arts Draw from mixed perspectives Exaggerate size to show importance Draw symbols as transparencies (pictures that show inside and outside of an object at the same time) After seven or eight years of age, representation is often more advanced more detail, visual depth

The Adult’s Role in Stimulating Art Experiences Introduce children to art activities suited to their stages of development continued

The Adult’s Role in Stimulating Art Experiences Provide the right environment and supplies Demonstrate use of materials without making models for children to copy Show interest in art activities both the process and the final product

Music Rhythmic Sounds in patterns many pitches Degrees of loudness continued

Music Children hear and respond to music paying attention, moving, making sounds First instruments are often percussion instruments (produce a tone when struck) rhythm instruments (without pitch) melody percussion instruments (produce various pitches)

The Adult’s Role in Guiding Music Experiences Introduce music activities suited to children’s interests listening singing playing instruments moving to music continued

The Adult’s Role in Guiding Music Experiences Provide an environment that is rich in sound model enthusiasm and an enjoyment of a variety of music Listen to, and praise, children’s musical attempts

Science Children are born scientists Children wonder and seek answers Answers are repeatedly tested Scientific material surrounds children

What Is Science? To children, science is wondering about the world and everything in it Before children can wonder, they must progress through a few steps be aware focus on an object or happening by ignoring other things observe continued

What Is Science?

Adult’s Role in Encouraging Science Activities Encourage children to wonder appreciate the beauty of their world focus on science in everyday life Read books about science to children Provide lessons on caring for nature Model care for the environment

Focus of Science Activities Learn about the world Develop respect for living things Learn physical knowledge concepts Overcome some fears by understanding causes

Literature Literature opens new worlds for children entertains is an important learning tool for concepts and language 43

Benefits to Children Can enrich life and help children appreciate beauty Can answer questions and cause children to want to learn Helps children hear the rhythm of language, rise and fall of the voice, and tongue-tickling phrases Builds active and passive vocabularies continued

Benefits to Children Helps children to make up their own stories at an early age Helps children to express themselves through dramatic play, art, music Helps children to better understand themselves by hearing stories that draw on their backgrounds

Selecting Books for Children Books need to be on the child’s developmental level babies and toddlers enjoy hearing nursery rhymes toddlers and preschoolers enjoy picture books with quality pictures older children enjoy books with more involved plots and written descriptions continued

Selecting Books for Children Story time should help children relax Adults should read in interesting ways Follow-up activities can be planned

What Would You Do? Imagine you have been asked to host a story time for toddler and preschool children in your neighborhood. What books would you select to read to the children? What follow-up activities would you plan?

Glossary of Key Terms active-physical play. Play that uses gross-motor skills. imitative-imaginative play. Play in which children pretend to be persons or objects other than themselves. language-logic play. Form of mental play common in school-age children that involves words and logical concepts.

Glossary of Key Terms manipulative-constructive play. Play that uses fine-motor skills. manipulative stage. First stage in children’s visual-arts development in which they play with art materials rather than use them to create artwork.

Glossary of Key Terms melody percussion instruments. Instruments that produce various pitches when certain bars are struck, such as xylophones. percussion instruments. Musical instruments that produce a tone when struck.

Glossary of Key Terms play therapy. Use of play between a child and a trained counselor to help the child resolve certain problems. prop box. Container that holds a set of realistic objects related to a certain role for children’s use in play.

Glossary of Key Terms representation stage. Second stage in children’s visual-arts development in which they create symbols to represent objects, experiences, and feelings. rhythm instruments. Percussion instruments without a definite pitch, such as most drums.

Glossary of Key Terms scribbling. Second step in the manipulative stage of visual-arts development in which writing consists of dots, straight and curved lines, loops, spirals, and imperfect circles. transparencies. Pictures that show the inside and outside of an object at the same time, much like an X-ray.

Glossary of Key Terms visual arts. Forms of art that create products that appeal to the sense of sight.