Sharing Good Practice schools , government bodies and everyone involved .
Building Experiences : Dr Paul Swan , an education consultant and curriculum advisor based in Australia , specialising in providing a positive learning experience for children in Maths , makes a note of how this is important to children , especially in their early years , as it helps to set them up for the rest of their lives .
He recommends that teachers and parents encourage different activities which are inclusive and genderneutral . Allow them to find their passion , whether that ’ s unicorns , fish , boats , cars or dolls . What do they love doing ? What do they find hard ? Try to engage with them with their own interests .
Active Listening : Parents need to enjoy listening more . When the children are trying to explain why the sky is blue , or grass is green , or that this spider has eight legs , or as they tell you about their day or a game they played , the industry needs to encourage parents to ask open-ended questions , so they have to explain the different concepts to you , developing language and social skills . Yes , let ’ s encourage children to use their imagination to play , learn and create , and to tell stories to each other and to those around them .
Manage Expectations : At school , the expectations of children are clearly laid out . Developing a passport or passbook ( see image ) which allows children to earn time for activities of their choice is one tool that parents can adopt . These might be games online or TV , where parents can even encourage their children to think of 5 activities to earn a particular reward .
Open-Ended Play : In the Middle East , there is a culture of clubs , structured activities and planned events . Outside of these clubs and activities , children need encouragement to play independently . With free time and no structure , children may need to be encouraged by starting an activity with them , showing how it works , then encouraging them with positive words , behaviours , experiences . Let ’ s spark those amazing imaginations .
Play will help to develop fine and gross motor skills , cognitive development , curiosity , speech and language skills .
Empower The Child : Just as parents need to be empowered to show their children how to learn through play , so too children need to be empowered .
Teachers can encourage parents to show children routines , such as cleaning up their toys or making their bed . Explain what a good choice is and why certain activities are a bad choice . This will help with problem solving , perseverance and persistence in school and life . Learning is about trying again to solve the problem . As we all know , we are not always correct the first time around .
Why Learning Through Play Matters
A McKinsey & Company report estimates that “ AI and robotics could eliminate about 30 per cent of the world ’ s workforce by 2030 . The World Economic Forum predicts that technology could displace 75 million jobs by 2022 , but it will also create 133 million new ones ”.
There are employment opportunities not even considered in 2020 , so we are looking to educate children who need to have a love of learning , be creative , innovative and work towards becoming the leaders we need for the world of tomorrow .
Skills your kids will need to succeed , are “ softer ” skills . Katrin Becker , a business psychologist with Hatch Analytics , a company based in London that uses behavioural science to improve workplace says , skills such as resilience , curiosity , communication and empathy , will be in high demand in the future .
In the UAE , most students are at international schools , and many will soon move overseas to university or to work . With diverse cultures and so many ethnicities , it is important that we move forward with the evolving needs of the world .
To this end , it is fabulous that teachers and schools in the UAE are looking to empower parents to recognise the benefits of these skills and show the importance of home learning for our
To read more , Edx Education has a play blog on the website , podcast , games & videos and free downloadable resources for home learning in the teachers ’/ parents ’ section , head over to www . edxeducation . com / teachers / parents . Let ’ s play and learn together .
Heather is a mother , a teacher and a marketer . Right now she enjoys working with a team to develop educational toys for children to spark their imagination and learn from one another . She has lived in Australia , Singapore , UAE and now the UK with her family which includes two active boys , 10 and three years old .
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