"Where Do the Bears Go?" The Value of Child-Directed Play
Key concepts
Child-directed play enriches Maths learning
The teacher taught calendar concepts in the context of sociodramatic play
She is nearby to support the children in their counting but she leaves the responsibility of arriving at an accurate count to the children
This play has led to practice of previously learn skills in an authentic and meaningful context
Child-directed play requires symbol representation
They children apply the concepts of consecutive counting, one-to-one correspondence, and an understanding of the days of the week
Through hyun' splay, she has learned the concept that one thing can be two things at the same time, to that she can use one thing to represent another thing
Child-directed play enriches literacy
Children practice their literacy skills because those tools are essential to their play
The use play to direct their learning, gaining understanding of through self-created learning experiences (Elkind, 2007)
Child-directed play is carefully scaffolded
The teacher uses the gathering time that follows center time to lead the children in a webbing activity
In the context of their play, the children's ideas on how the animals get their food becomes explicit
Brian's original believe---> Jaelee challenges his existing ideas--->Miss Ellison adds new information--->Presses Brian to accommodate the new information by creating new understanding
Child-directed play provides opportunities for decision making
The important decisions that emerge in the narrative go the children's play hep them see cause and effect and aid in their self-regulation (Riley & Jones, 2010)
The man choices Teachers offer help these children make wise decisions and be comfortable with their outcomes
Child-directed play aids development of self-regulation
The train scenario within the zoo narrative represents very high levels of skill in social interaction. Not only are these children regulating one another, they are accepting regulation from one another .
Child directed play induces problem solving
When children are responsible for solving a problem together, different ideas, perspectives, and opinions may result in conflict
Teacher can provide scaffolding to help the children access previous knowledge and use their Maths skills to solve the problem