1. Unit 7 Support children’s play in early years

2. Learning Outcomes
LO1 Understand the role of play in children’s development.
AC 1.1 Explain why play is necessary for the development of children.

3. What is your definition?

4. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development (1.1)
Time: 15 mins
What was your favourite toy or game as you were growing up?
Consider:
Dolls or action figures
Soft toys
Construction toys
Character toys
Board games
Electronic toys
Outdoor play.
Why do you remember your favourite toy or game?

5. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Play and children’s development
Babies begin to interact with the world around them from a very early age.
Children are naturally curious and will use anything around them in order to feed their imagination and curiosity.
Play is crucial in supporting children’s development, and the EYFS identifies the benefits of play.

6. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Play and children’s development
When we consider how play supports children’s development, we need to include:
Physical development
Language and communication development
Cognitive development
Social, emotional and behavioural development.

7. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Time: 15 mins
List all of the activities or experiences at your setting that support children’s physical development.
Consider:
Gross motor skills, such as climbing and jumping
Fine motor skills, such as threading and mark-making
Indoor opportunities
Outdoor opportunities
Planned activities
Spontaneous play.
Learners should create a list.
They can further categorise into either gross and fine motor skills, or indoor and outdoor play.

8. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Play and children’s development
Children's language and communication can be developed through a range of play activities and experiences.
Practitioners will role model good language and communication skills, and children will copy what they hear.
Children need to be given time to talk and be listened to during play, and this will also support their language and communication development.

9. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Language and communication
Books
Songs and rhymes
Role play
Circle time
Small world
Creative play

10. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Time: 20 mins
Choose one area of a setting and describe opportunities for language and communication development in this area.
Consider:
The age and stage of the children
Spontaneous opportunities for development
Planned activities within the chosen area
The role of the adult
How could you improve this area to further develop children’s language and communication?
Example:
Home corner:
Spontaneous opportunities include naturally occurring role play, speaking and listening.
Planned opportunities include turning the area into a shop to encourage specific language and communication development, such as mark-making, using the phone, talking to ‘customers’.
Water tray:
Spontaneous opportunities include using imaginative language to describe what they are doing, describing what is happening, and talking to others.
Planned opportunities include a floating and sinking activity to encourage specific language such as heavy, light, hard.
The role of adult – to model language, i.e. a child says ‘nana’ and the adult says ‘that’s right, a banana’.

11. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Play and children’s development
Cognitive development involves children thinking and problem-solving.
A child who is trying to fit a puzzle together is using their cognitive skills.
Similarly, a child who is putting all the red buttons into one bowl and all the blue ones into another is also developing this skill.
Settings will plan a wide range of play activities that will support a child’s cognitive development.

12. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Time: 20 mins
Look at the table-top activities available in your setting and identify all those that will support cognitive development through play.
Consider:
Matching
Sorting
Puzzles
Construction
Research one further activity, toy or piece of equipment that you could recommend to your setting to further support the children’s cognitive development.
Examples: peg boards, Mobilo, Compare Bears, lotto, shape-matching, threading boards, alphabet puzzles, sequencing.
Learners can use catalogues or the internet to suggest a new activity.

13. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Play and children’s development
Children will often act out their emotions through their play, so it is very important that children have plenty of opportunities to do this.
Social skills are developed through play as children learn to share, take turns and be kind to others.
Adults will model positive behaviour while children are playing, and children will imitate what they see and hear.

14. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Time: 15 mins
How does your setting support the social, emotional and behavioural development of all children through play?
Consider:
The age and stage of the children
Specific areas within the setting
Planned activities or experiences
The role of the adult
Indoor and outdoor areas.
While there will be obvious activities or areas such as sharing at the creative table, learners may identify opportunities such as how the setting deals with emotions after a dispute over a toy.

15. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Play and children’s development
Some adults will believe that all children do all day is play.
Practitioners will understand the benefits of play, and will plan and implement activities that are designed to move children on to their next stage of development.
Children continually learn through play and it benefits their all-round or holistic development.

16. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development (1.1)
Time: 15 mins
Reflect on your own knowledge and understanding of the benefits of play on children’s development. Could you plan activities to support the holistic development of a child, or do you need to develop your own knowledge and understanding in one or more areas of development?
Consider:
Physical development
Language and communication development
Cognitive development
Social, emotional and behavioural development.
Learners should identify their own area/s of knowledge and understanding, and research activities to support development in one or more areas of children’s development.

17. 1. Understand the role of play in children’s development 1.1
Time: 15 mins
Create a leaflet to show games that parents/carers could play with their child while walking down the street or driving in the car.
Consider:
The age and stage of the children
Specific areas of development
Games with no resources
The benefits to the child’s learning and development.
Examples:
I Spy
How many…?
Words starting with…
Counting cars, dogs, pillar boxes
Singing
I went to the shops and I bought…

18. Summary Children’s holistic development benefits from play.
Play opportunities are all around us.
Children learn and develop through everything they do.

19. Plenary
List three areas of development that benefit from play.
For each area, identify two activities that will support children’s development.
What is the role of the adult during play?