Make Play Meaningful

Make Play Meaningful

There are several truths I hold onto as a parent and educator. One is that play is serious learning! It is how children explore their world. Through play they begin to understand how things work and how things move. They observe the relationship between cause and effect. They gain critical insight into social norms, how to interact with others, the limitations of their physical self and so much more.

Secondly, parent’s are their children’s first teachers. Research shows the first 5 years are crucial and it is often the parents who are the most influential at that time. I love that at Tinkergarten we ask our parents to become Guides to their children’s play. It implies a system of support and exploration that allow children to thrive. Through play facilitation techniques, parents deepen and strengthen the experience of play in class. This strategy holds fast to the belief that parents are their child’s first teacher. A relationship that extends beyond the confines of the class.

Play gives children opportunity to develop skills, to learn, to solve problems and grow healthy relationships. If they are physically active during play, it also brings health benefits. Widening access to play, particularly early in life, is one way of reducing the differences in life chances that we see in society.

-Paul Ramchandani, the PEDAL Centre at the University of Cambridge

But there is a delicacy to the true freedom of play. Often times adults come in and want to show the right or wrong way to play with something. We know what works and what doesn’t and we want to save the time and trouble of our children finding that out for themselves. So we say “ no that won’t work, do it like this…” But what we have done in that moment is robbed our children of the process of discovery. They have not learned the intricacies of the why or how of the situation.

It makes me think of the adage “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day but teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” By shortchanging the situation, you have starved your child of the depth of knowledge. They know it won’t work but they have not experienced it for themselves and in that experience lies hidden knowledge to support further learning in the future. A study was conducted by Fisher and Colleagues where children discovered the ‘secrets of shapes’ in a playful exploratory way and guided by an adult. It was found that this technique led to a more robust and flexible notion of shapes. As opposed to direct instruction that might teach shape names but not how to define, draw or manipulate the shapes to create new shapes.

Eight Ways to Facilitate Meaningful Play

Let’s Look Closer!

Observe

Sit quietly nearby and watch. What do you notice about your child’s play?

Observing is key to the whole process of guiding play. But what are you looking for? If you watch young children play, you’ll notice they repeat actions again and again. What they’re really doing is testing, experimenting, and adjusting. Play gives them a safe space to take risks, feel in control, and guide their own learning. If you observe long enough you will see a rhythm to their attention span. Try waiting through a lull. Are they moving on or have they been processing? Do they end up going back to the play with a new strategy in place? Can you “see” where their thought process has taken them? When observing, don’t interrupt. Use it as an opportunity to gauge your child’s level of understanding.

Co-Play

Join in and play right alongside your child? How do you like to play? How does it feel?

Co-playing may feel awkward or uncomfortable at first. You may love playing with their dolls but when it comes to crashing cars in the muddy puddle, you may be less interested. That is OK. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes.

Co-playing gives you a chance to guide appropriate play. This is where your child learns about social norms by role playing with you. It is where, in the guise of being someone else, you can say, that hurt my feelings! and your child will process that in a non-threatening/ pretend situation. This often removes the added emotions associated with hurting someone real and therefore the information is easier to process.

Mirror

Notice how your child is playing. Then, sit nearby and imitate their play.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! What if your child is acting super silly or pretending to be a screaming chimpanzee? Take a breath and join in! The important thing is that we are helping our children feel comfortable in their own bodies, activating their imaginations and validating their movements. Mirroring also helps you understand their understanding of a situation. See what happens when you mirror their play? Do they tackle the play in a different direction? Often this is an effective way to enter the play space with your child and then you can move into another technique as the situation naturally allows.

Model

Show your child another way to play with the materials and narrate what you are doing.

Modeling is a great technique when your child is at a loss or has lost interest with a toy. Use the toy in a new way and narrate what you are doing. Most likely your child will want o give it a try. This also works during co play situations where perhaps inappropriate behaviors are exhibited. You can step in and say, I am going to put the doll gently down in the crib, I don’t think she liked being stepped on…

Wonder

Spark curiosity by wondering aloud “I wonder what would happen if we….?”

Wondering helps trigger curiosity, imagination and problem solving skills. It is a great verbal technique to spark extended play. Wonder creates critical thinkers who are persistent and capable learners. As a parent we need to resist that knee jerk reaction to say “push here” and say I wonder if you pushed it, what would happen? instead. Then step back and allow them to push in different ways to see the effects. Remember to suggest things you know won’t work. There is much to be learned from non-examples too!

Sportscast

Celebrate play and attune kids to the actions of others by narrating aloud what you see.

Like a sportscaster on T.V. narrating a football game, narrate what you see happening. Narrating builds language, vocabulary and comprehension skills in your child. Narrate how another child is playing. Your child will notice and and will grab onto ideas to extend their own play. Narrate while you play with your child. This provides a natural opportunity to refine your child’s actions without correcting or reprimanding them. I love the description here- “celebrate play!” When we participate in our child’s play we are celebrating their explorations which in turn validates and encourages their actions.

Add a Material

Quietly add a new material to your child’s play space. What happens?

The key here is to quietly add the material. Just set it down in the play space without saying a word. I love this technique. Once you introduce the new item, sit back and observe your child. Do they notice right away? Watch how they incorporate it into their play. Do they immediately incorporate it or do they use it separately first? This taps into and builds upon the curiosity of wondering but allows your child to practice it independently.

Ask Questions

If your child seems open to chatting, ask open ended questions about their play.

Asking questions is a fantastic way to add depth to the play situation. The key to this is to determine if your child is open to verbal discussion. They may need a quiet space to internally process or problem solve and therefore discussion would interrupt. But if they are willing, ask away. Ask questions that will extend, deepen, or strengthen their play. These can be wonder questions, asking for details, or why something is happening.

Guided Play is Effective Play

I am not suggesting that all play be guided by adults. There is importance in letting children play alone or with peers. When kids play on their own terms, their minds and bodies are working hard. This type of self-directed play gives them so much freedom—and with that comes big learning opportunities. By taking the lead, they’re practicing self-control, problem-solving, and all those important brain skills that set the stage for future learning. This is where self-regulation and executive function thrive.

Becoming a play facilitator takes practice and courage. Practitioners need to understand the importance of play in young children’s development, to feel empowered to lead sessions that focus on process, and to have concrete examples that model activities and scenarios; rather than recipes, these examples should provide a springboard for them to iterate and innovate.

-Kim Foulds, Sesame Workshop

However, it has been found time and time again that guided play can facilitate in children a deeper understanding of the world around them, support curious learners, and provide foundational building blocks to literacy, numeracy, and scientific principles that free play or direct instruction cannot.

So pick a technique or two and give it a go!

See where it takes you… both.

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