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Parents, I know. Your child is on their devices the whole day watching Paw Patrol.
So when you’ve finally managed to pry the device out of your fingers, it’s time to get serious with the revision books.
Therefore, play might be the last approach that you’d think of using to teach your child.
But that’s exactly it!
The power of play is more powerful than most adults realise.
Why Use Play?
Kids learn the best when they’re actually doing something and not just sitting down, engrossed with their iPads.
Therefore, play is a great way for your child to learn, as… which child can resist playing? So they’ll definitely be actively involved and interested in the activity!
The 5 Early Childhood Domains and How Play In
There are five domains that preschool teachers in Singapore incorporate in every lesson to make sure that the children will grow holistically in each lesson.
Aesthetic and Creative Expression
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Children will learn to appreciate and enjoy art, music, and movement when they do artistic activities. They’ll also learn to express their sense of self through various creative mediums, like painting, song, and dance.
Your child can explore their preferences in art through play-based activities, which allows them to develop their personality and sense of self.
Activity Idea: Construction craft activities, collaging, and playing musical instruments.
Language and Literacy
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As the name suggests, children will learn to communicate effectively through speech and writing here. Your child will also learn to enjoy talking to others, reading storybooks, and listening to others because they enjoy it.
You’ll know your child’s language and literacy skills are blossoming when they’re burying their nose in books and recounting the stories to you, striking up a conversation with the neighbour, or they’ve requested a song.
Activity Ideas: “Continuing the Story’, ‘I See with My Little Eye’, Rhyming, and Poetry.
Discovery of the World
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Children learn about the world around them by exploring their surroundings, wondering why the sky is blue and asking why fire is hot. This will nurture their natural thirst for knowledge while fostering responsibility, care, and respect for their surroundings.
This domain also promotes their learning skills and higher brain functions, such as critical thinking.
Your child’s sense of exploration will be nurtured through play, as it allows children to engage in fantasy play. Children need to live out their fantasies as they build on multiple skills at once, such as imagination, story building, social skills, self-discovery, and orating, and play is the perfect medium for this to take place.
Activity Ideas: pretend play, drawing/painting the world around them, and ‘Putting on Their ‘Detective’ Cap’.
Numeracy
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Like language and literacy, this domain is self-explanatory. Your child learns the value of numbers and the various concepts of numbers, shapes, and patterns in ‘numeracy’ or mathematics.
Math is a notoriously hard field of study to understand and enjoy, but bringing play into the equation could change that!
Your child could understand mathematical concepts more easily by being able to visualise them with tangible items like Legos. This adds up, as 80% of learning happens visually!
Activity That Teach Numeracy: Cooking, Board Games, and Building with Legos.
Health, Safety, and Motor Skills Development
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Children develop healthy habits and safety awareness through participating in physical activities. Isn’t this the perfect domain for learning through play?
They’re also able to hone their gross motor skills (the use of bigger groups of muscles to perform activities that require more space) like running, balancing, and jumping, and their fine motor skills (smaller groups of muscles to perform small movements) like holding a pencil or buttoning their shirt.
Activity Ideas: ‘Simon Says’, Scavenger Hunts, and Playing Musical Instruments.
Early Childhood Approaches That Utilise Play
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Montessori, Reggio-Emilia, IB, Steiner-Waldorf, and the Forest Approach.
These schools value the holistic development of a child. As such, they use play-based learning and encourage experimental learning.
In these classrooms, it is not the end product that is important, but the process that your child went through for it and what they picked up during the process.
In these schools, the environment acts as the 3rd teacher while the actual educator acts as a facilitator of the child’s learning.
The facilitators support and guide the children’s learning rather than directing it. This ensures that every child has a unique journey for learning.
How You Can Do It At Home
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Parents, don’t worry. You don’t have to come up with every activity yourself!
To come up with a constant rotation of play-based activities to keep your little ones meaningfully engaged is exhausting. So don’t be afraid to look to parenting blogs or Pinterest for ideas and inspiration!
Choose the Right Location
(Credits: Forest School Education Series)
Choosing the right location is half the battle won. Remember? The environment is your child’s third teacher.
Make sure it’s conducive to learning. It should be free from distractions and appropriate to the lesson being learnt here.
Engaging Your Children
Catch your child’s attention by using a song and movement activity that they love to usher them to the location.
This will also set the tone for the rest of the activities.
Introduce the activity to them, and set boundaries if needed for safety purposes.
Your child will pick up on your energy and mirror it. So remember to show enthusiasm in your tone, voice, and body language.
your tone, voice, and body language.
Lastly, for self-discovery and learning to take place, guide your child during the activities instead of directing their actions and thoughts.
Using Play With Older Children
Why stop after they’ve “outgrown” play?
Have teenagers who are struggling to understand concepts? Utilising aspects of play-based learning such as storytelling and discovery of the world might make it easier for them to process the concept.
For example, teenagers can journal to be more in touch with their feelings and personal development, teach mathematics by using real-world examples, and use objects to visualise concepts in chemistry.
Conclusion
Play-based learning is a great approach that allows for the discovery of one’s self and the environment around them and to develop holistically.
By embracing the approach at home, you can allow your child to be in charge of their learning and holistic development in a safe and appropriate environment.
Lastly, engage our primary school tutors who are trained to conduct fun 1-to-1 tuition lessons that’ll engage your child and make them enjoy learning!
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