ITI CORNER
a. Give children space and time to play. A large portion
of any school day should be set aside for free play. A
good ECE classroom is laid out and resourced in such a
way that encourages rich, safe play experiences.
b. Give children support. When children play alone or
together they will, from time to time need help and
support. Free time is not a time for teachers to relax;
far from it. In fact, teachers should be especially
observant and attentive to children’s play offering
help and support where needed. Teachers must be well
equipped as observers and curious explorers.
c. Provide a materials rich environment. Children need
things to play with. Not toys specifically, but rather open
ended materials such as blocks, wood, clothing, cloth,
shapes, art materials, and play dough. Children need
opportunities to experience beauty in all its forms, so
be sure that children have inspiration in the form of
music, art work and flowers and plants.
d. Respect and Listen to their Ideas. If you really
listen to children they will let you be their partners
in exploration and innovation. Teachers should never
be far from a clipboard, camera and recording device.
Listening and documenting children’s work and
discussions will give you rich information about what
they know, what they are curious about and where you
can guide their explorations.
How children develop skills
through play
08
07
A confident child
feels capable of
attempting their
next challenge
01
A child is
naturally
curious
Play as Problem Solving
As children grow up they need to learn to solve
problems in a variety of ways. As they play
and explore, they will encounter a multitude
of problems to solve. Some problems, like
interpersonal conflicts, will require them to use
their interpersonal intelligence. Other problems,
such as how to balance and block structure
will test their spatial and logical-mathematical
intelligence. In every cases teachers must be
close at hand not to rescue, but to observe, ask
questions and assist when appropriate. How then
should educators support problem solving through
play?
a. Ask questions that challenge children to
think deeper; for example the “I see, I wonder”
construction. For example: “I see that you are
trying to build a high tower, I wonder if the small
blocks are a good choice?”
b. Give children clear resolution frameworks
and language for interpersonal conflicts. Giving
children clear and concrete options for what to do
when they encounter interpersonal problems and
language for how to talk about their feelings in a
constructive way. This should be done by talking
about feelings and modelling conflict resolution.
c. Assist, but don’t rescue. Children learn to solve
their problems by doing just that. If teachers rush
to solve every problem then children do not learn
the true spirit of innovation. Teachers should
give children feedback, ask questions, challenge
and encourage but not rescue. With appropriate
feedback and prompts children can solve a wide
variety of problems on their own.
02
A child who
is mastering
new skills feels
confident
The child’s
curiosity drives
them to explore
through play
06
Repeating fun
play activities
help a child to
achieve mastery
of their skills
03
05
A child likes to
repeat activities
that are fun
04
As a child explores
through play they
discover new
things and
learn
The child finds
learning and
exploring fun
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