I observed toddlers at the Little Sprouts Early Education and Child Care Center. Upon entering I did had certain expectations and a sense of what I was prepared to observe. However, I was very surprised in my observations. All the children were well behaved and they got along. It was interesting to see how different each toddler was and their physical and intellectual abilities. The toddlers engaged in all types of play including imaginative, active, dramatic, pretend, and cooperative play. Play is significantly important in child development, especially in early childhood because it allows children to explore and learn new things. Children develop a number of skills during play. They develop in social, emotional, language, thinking, and nurturing skills. Language developmentalists believe that play is the most productive and the most enjoyable activity that children engage in (Berger, 2015). As I was observing the toddlers, I was very surprised with one toddler named Tomas. Tomas is a smart 18 month old toddler who has exceptional vocabulary for his age. Although he was not able to pronounce the words accurately as older children, it was clear that he knew the words. As Berger mentions in the text, children's vocabulary builds quickly, …show more content…
They engaged in drama and pretend play where one of the dolls had gotten hurt and another girl played the role of a nurse to help the hurt girl. They're acting was good and it seemed like they must have seen a real nurse in action and they reenacted what they have seen before. Sociodramatic play allows children to learn how to explain their ideas and persuade their playmates and explore and rehearse social roles (Berger, 2015). The girls had great imagination, which at times was amusing. The even had imaginary characters in their play. Including imaginary characters allowed them to practice emotional regulation by pretending to be hurt and
The most popular method for educators at the centre to build on children’s comments and conversations is by talking with them, particularly by talking through processes or experiences as they are happening. With infants this process of talking through experiences and processes seems more like narration. Spending time in the infant room feels solidary as I talk to myself for most of the day, however it is important to remind myself that the child is learning through my one-sided conversations. Baby’s language develops socially, they listen to those speaking around them and then begin to internalise the words that are high frequency (Clarke, 2004). As they develop their vocabulary grows as they build their repertoire through socialisation. Research
Toddlers are the epitome of curiosity and energy. From ages 1 – 3, toddlers are always on the go and want to learn about everything in their world. As with infants, no two are alike; each toddler is unique in his or her developmental stages, and each accomplishes milestones at different times. “Although children develop at different rates, there are common stages of development that serve as guidelines for what most children can do by a certain age” (Groark, McCarthy & Kirk, 2014). As seen in the hatfieldmomof3 (2011) video, one observes toddlers at play and can determine the age of the toddlers by their actions and the milestones they have accomplished.
Play is essential in supporting development of speech, language and communication. During play children can express themselves and use their imagination. By letting the child lead can build self-confidence and does not put pressure on them to talk or respond all the time.
Play is an important part of emotional-social development. Play can act as a way for children to reveal their innermost feelings and express thought. As defined by the text, play is “voluntary activities done for enjoyment or recreation that are not performed for any sake beyond themselves.” Children move through different levels of play as they mature. One form of play which scientists have become increasingly interested in is imaginative play. With imagination children learn how to be creative. Many children between ages 3-5 create imaginary friends for themselves.
Children's development is supported by different types of play and “From age’s three to five, children learn through play by pretending with materials and practicing language.” As children are practicing their language
The infant that was observed for the purposes of this essay was Phoebe, a two-month old girl, born via cesarean section at thirty-eight weeks of gestation to interracial parents. She was observed in her own home, in normal behavior and interactions between her and her mother. The observation was separated into two different one hour sessions.
This stage of development is categorized by imagination and symbolic language. During the beginning of this stage, toddlers spend most of their playtime using their imagination and playing pretend. This helps them to decipher the difference between reality and fantasy. Between the ages of five and seven, these children transition from parallel play, to associative and cooperative types of play behavior. These new play behaviors increase their social skills as they interact with peers, siblings, and parents. During this period, children also start engaging in dramatic play with others. This helps them explore different social roles, such as pretending to be a mother while playing house. Dramatic play opens up an entirely new world to children as they use their imagination with others (Hughes, 2006). By playing in a world that does not provide the child with any negative consequences, they are free to play without
All children play and it is something that most children do because they are having fun, but without realising children are developing and learning skills when they are engaged in play. Play helps stimulate the mind as it is practical and gives children the chance to explore and experience new situations. It can also ensure that children get to think by themselves and be spontaneous as they control their own play. Children get the chance to be creative and imaginative which develops independence for children. Play is vital for child development and helps children develop five main areas of development:
During the preoperational stage children tend to become increasingly skilled or proficient at play acting and pretending, they also role play “mummy” and “daddy”, doctors, nurses to mention a few. For example in week 7 Child C was playing ‘mummies and daddies’ Child C offered to be the mummy laying the table and putting dinner on the table, Child C realised the table cloth was not placed properly on the table, he proceeded to take the cloth off the table and lay it properly. The other children com...
Many theorists have tried to define play as a concept, however, no two agree on a set definition. Their backgrounds and induvial lifestyles influence the way they see the importance of play. Reed and Brown also believe that there isn’t an agreed definition of play because is something that is felt rather than done (Reed & Brown, 2000 cited in Brock, Dodd’s, Jarvis & Olusoga, 2009). In spite of this, it is clear that most theorists uphold the ethos that play is imperative to a child’s learning and development. There is a wide range of different studies and theories which helps us develop our own perception of what play is. In my personal experience I have found play to be a way of expressive our emotions, exploring and learning new things, thus
The book, Exploring Your role in Early Childhood Education, defines play as, “any activity that is freely chosen, meaningful, active, enjoyable, and open-ended.”(pg. 140) Play has many positive characteristics such as freedom to explore and create. Suppose when a child enters his/her classroom and has various self-selection activities available, the child can become engaged in something of interest specifically to that individual child. The book also states, “Play is active and is natural process of mentally and actively doing something.”(pg. 140) When children can act out or explore experiences they are having hands on experience and learning by actually doing. Without knowing it, children are practicing body movements as well as mental processing though acting imaginary games out.
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
Play directly influences how children develop both emotionally and socially. Children learn how to express their emotions and cope with their feelings as they experiment with different characters in their play. Play gives children a “harmless outlet to their built up aggression” (CHETN). This is displayed when a child becomes angry, upset, or stressed about a situation in their lives; these young children may not be old enough or have the proper communication tools to communicate what they are feeling. Therefor they may choose to play with objects that depict the emotions that they are feeling and attempt to cope. Simply said, a child will use play to explain how they are feeling rather than acting out in a negative fashion (Wehrman 351). This not only works for the child when expressing emotions, it can also be effective for whole families in coping with emotions. When families come together and play they may be “less analytical and intellectual and more ...
The two children that I have interacted with this week at the Early Childhood Education Center from the Willows group is Emily and Harriet. I got a chance to interact with these two girls this week. They are both so much fun to play with and be around. With Harriet, we played in the dirt box and played with the musical instruments. We also played with her stuffed little gray and white cat and a toy tiger. With Emily, we played doctor and played in the kitchen area. Together Emily and I played nurse and doctor to make her little baby feel better and got to play dress up with it. We also played some in the kitchen to make food for the baby as well. From what I have learned from Harriet and Emily is that they have two different personalities.
In Kindergarten school, some parent believes play is the best way for young children to learn the conceptions, skills, and set a solid foundation for later school and life success. In the other hand, many parents disagree and believe play is a waste of time, messy, noisy, and uneducationall. I believe play is not waste of time, but it something worth to fight for, in this presentation I would show parent the main importance of some of the numerous kinds of play, and why play is a fundamental basis for improving children’s ability to succeed in school and life.