Suphavee Anandsongkit

Concepts and Uses of Play in Education

Play can be defined as children engaging in an activity for enjoyment and leisure
rather than a practical purpose. Play has many benefits in helping a childs learning. Play
consists of fun activities often chosen by the child therefore making it intrinsically
motivating. Children are able to play freely without any necessary external goals. Play
has its own rewards and often leads to a childs happiness. There are a lot of barriers to
play that exist today due to the perception of teachers, parents and administrators. In
schools, teachers often devalue play and emphasize on formal activities. The biggest
misconception schools have about play is that it is the contrary of teaching and
educational learning. Teachers do not realize that play can be very useful in terms of
promoting academic learning. Many schools are experiencing pressure to decrease play
and recess and to provide teacher directed instruction instead. Schools tend to put a
heavy focus on standardized tests which leaves very little room for play. There are
several reasons to why play is devalued, these consists of constraints such as time,
space, teacher-child ratio, curriculum pressures, lack of needed materials and lack of
parent and administrator support for play. Teachers need to increase their knowledge
about play and see the positive affect it has for educational purposes. (Johnson, Christie,
Wardle, 2005)
Educational play provides opportunities for children to build their knowledge
and skills. It is when children can learn to make sense of the world around them.
Educational play is linking educational goals, objectives and outcomes to one or more
of the significant characteristics of play (Johnson, Christie, Wardle, 2005, Page 199).
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Education is often linked to play as it is a way to motivate children to learn. Play
encourages children to problem solve, be risk-takers, promote divergent thinking at the
same time ensure that the child is enjoying. Linking education and play provides many
gains for the child. Children are able to practice and apply their new skills into different
problem solving situations through the use of play. As children are interested in the task
it will allow them to continue learning and will lead to less school dropout rates.
Moreover, children have the opportunity to take a break from other serious school
activities. When teachers implement educational play, they need ensure to keep a
balance of both recreational and educational play. They must ensure that the play is
challenging in order for learning to continue. Furthermore, educational play provides
teachers with the opportunity to observe, document and assess the childrens skill
which can provide more accurate information than standardized testing (Johnson,
Christie, Wardle, 2005).
There are three types of educational play, free play, teacher guided play and
child directed play. Free play is when everything is determined by the child. The play is
free of structure and adult involvement. The child is able to create his own play space as
well as the type of play he wants to be involved in. Children are able to invest
according to their ability, mood and physical condition, each finding their own mode of
expression (Philipp Reubke, 2009). Free play allows for children to have the opportunity
to self-regulate self-control and direct their own learning without adult intrusion and
direction. Teacher guided play is when the teacher-directed instruction is the primary
form of instruction. This philosophy believes that children benefit from formal
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instruction. It is the teachers job to tell the child what to do and when. The subjects that
are covered consist of math, science and social studies. They believe that it is important
to prepare children for school therefore allowing them to engage informally in
academics will be a valuable start to school. Teachers ask closed questions which may
have just one answer. In this approach teachers demand for children to sit down,
attend, listen and participate during lesson time (Heidi H. Dowell, n.d.). In the child
directed play, the child is viewed as an active constructionist who engages in
experimentation and exploration as he or she moves through biologically unfolding
stages of development (Heidi H. Dowell, n.d.). Children are able to decide which
activity they want to participate in. The activities are prepared by the teacher, which
include concrete, three-dimensional learning that are closely related to a childs daily
life experience. Some of these activities include dramatic play, blocks, science, math,
games, puzzles, books, recordings, art and music. Teachers are the guide and often use
positive reinforcement and discipline techniques in a way to encourage the childs
learning. The questions generated by teachers allow for more than one correct answer,
thereby encouraging the child to answer. In this philosophy, it is believed that allowing
the child to engage in activities that they chose enhances their sense of direction, self-
confidence and promotes their enthusiasm for school. All these three types of
educational play are used to promote academic learning. (Heidi H. Dowell, n.d.)
There are various benefits that come with play. Play helps children develop a
wide range of skills and understandings. Children should engage in different types of
play in order to broaden their development. Play is essential to development because it
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contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children.
Children are able to gain knowledge through their play. There are many different kinds
of play that can allow children to deepen their understanding.
Dramatic play is play that is associated with fantasy. Children are able to dress
up in costumes, pretend to be characters in stories and undertake roles in their daily
lives. Children can strengthen their language skills by modeling other children and
adults. Through the use of dramatic play children are able to use their imagination and
creativity by creating stories consisting of a setting and characters. Children often
imitate their own personal experiences for example pretending to be the mother, taking
care of her child. This helps children learn about the different roles in a family.
Next, Manipulative play allows for children to develop control of their bodies
especially their muscles on their hand, finger arm and eye also known as fine motor
skills. Children can gain knowledge about sequence, conservation, comparison, order,
patterning, identifying color and texture. Children are able to practice making decisions
by choosing materials, settings as well as problem solving through the use of puzzles.
Physical play is engaging in activities that consist of the whole body for example,
playing ball, biking and jump rope. Through the use of physical play children are able to
develop their gross motor skills. There's evidence that active children grow into active
adults, thus decreasing their risk of heart disease. One study published in 2005 in the
American Journal of Preventative Medicine followed Finnish citizens over 21 years and
found that the most active 9 to 18 year olds later remained highly active later in life
(Stephanie Pappas, 2011). Moreover, physical play also allows children to develop their
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social skills. Playing with other children allows the child to be part of a group. They are
able to problem solve, share, take turns and develop the skill of negotiation.
Additionally, Creative play consists of using art materials such as paint, clay,
markers etc. Play allows children to be creative while developing their own
imaginations. It encourages the creative and multi-sensory development of a child since
this form of play has no rules or structures. Play can be used in numerous ways and is
very beneficial to a childs development.
As a teacher there are several classroom approaches that I would take in in
terms of observations, assessment, documentation and communication. The few
methods that can be used to assess a child engaging in play consist of observation
methods, narrative accounts, technology for recording play and checklists. First off,
observing play is more than just watching children play. It is important for teachers to
decide in ahead of time what they wish to learn about childrens play. Observations
should be spread over a long time period as a single day observation may not be
accurate due to factors that could occur on that day. Children should be able to have a
chance to work with different people and in different environments to get the most
accurate observations. Narrative accounts is when the observing tries to write down as
much as possible about the setting, participates and behaviors that are observed in a
specified place for given period of time (Johnson, Christie, Wardle, 2005, Page 76). One
useful form of narrative account is the anecdotal record. These are brief narrative
descriptions of events or incidents that are written down as they occur (Johnson,
Christie, Wardle, 2005, Page 77). Narrative accounts are used to document the events
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that are taking place. When teachers are taking down narrative accounts they are able
to write their thoughts and connections they have. These are useful to teachers as they
can go back and remind themselves of the different incidents that took place when
assessing a child. Next, recording using technology is another common form of
assessment in a classroom. The different technology used consists of photographs, voice
recordings and video tapes. These are very useful for teachers as they can be uploaded
to the computer making them easily shared. The teacher can also go back in time and
replay or review the photo/video which provides exact detail of what event took place.
This can be very significant as teachers can focus on interacting with the children and
assess them later by watching the videos. Moreover, checklists are very helpful for
teachers as they note which behaviors to look for and create a system to record
whether these behaviors are existent or not. Having a checklist makes teachers lives
easier as they are aware of what they need to focus on when observing and assessing a
child (Johnson, Christie, Wardle, 2005).
Documenting a childs play is an important aspect in early childhood classrooms.
When teachers documents play they are able to provide evidence of the childs
progress and learning. Documenting fulfills the role of being able to communicate play
(Johnson, Christie, Wardle, 2005, Page 82). There are several ways in which play can be
documented. Teachers can encourage children to reflect on their play experiences, as
well as taking a photograph of the childs construction. All the documents are often kept
in a portfolio which is dated in order to see the growth of the child. When documenting
it is essential to focus on an experience that is meaningful to the child. By documenting
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these experiences along with samples of the childrens work, we are able to
demonstrate to parents, administrators and policy makers the different kinds of learning
that is taken place during play. In terms of communication, I would use the high-context
communication style. This consists of nonverbal cues, contextual cues, traditional and
cultural norms to communicate everything from basic needs to cultural expectations
and social rules (Johnson, Christie, Wardle, 2005, Page 123). From research it is stated
that Asia and South Asian people have shown a preference for this form of
communication and since I plan on teaching in Thailand, and would need to keep that in
mind.
There are various things I would implement into my curriculum and classroom. In
terms of teaching, I believe that teacher-guided play would be most appropriate. Not
only does the child get to explore what they want, but the teacher also sets up the
material according to what they would like the child to focus on. This way, the child
enjoys learning and learns with the appropriate material.
The Reggio Emelia Approach is a movement that works towards progressive and
cooperative early childhood education. This type of approach focuses largely on project
work and each day teachers reflect on the experiences of the child. In this approach
children have the right to be constructors of their own experience, and thus active
participants in the organization of their identities. Each individual child has a wealth of
inborn abilities and potential, strength and creativity. The Reggio teacher is a keen
observer, documenter, and partner in the learning process who allows the children to,
ask their own questions and generate and test their own hypotheses while exploring
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and use symbolic languages to represent thoughts and hypothesis and communicate
their ideas to others (Rachel Stern, 2014). I can see myself using this approach in the
classroom as I also believe that children are full of potential and learn best through
experience. This approach also focuses a lot on documentation as a form to present
childrens ideas and learning. As a teacher, I am going to make sure to use the different
forms of documentation above to see the progress and growth of the children in my
classroom.
The next teaching strategy I can see myself using in my classroom is project-
based learning. Through the reading by Harris and Gleam, I understood that children
who engage in project work have great opportunities. They are able to investigate and
examine their own interests and theories, which motivates them to learn. I believe that
children are able to learn better when they are assigned to do projects for many
reasons. They are able to incorporate themselves into many different roles for example
being a leader in a group. Having roles lets everyone to be involved which allows
children to learn from each other. Project-based learning allows children to put their
hands into learning which can be less tedious than a lecture in which I agree with. From
my personal experience, being a student who does not speak up much in class, I believe
that working in smaller groups improves my social skills with my peers. Projects provide
numerous opportunities for representing, sharing and investigating among children. It is
a way in which children are able to make their thinking visible. In projects, children are
to actively engage into things, which promote deeper understanding. It is important that
projects are related to the childrens interest, it is usually from the teachers observation
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of a students spontaneous play and exploration. When projects are based on the
interest of children they are motivated and committed to their work. As children are
able to engage in activities they are able to relate to the project more as it becomes
more meaningful to them. Their view of working on a project is no longer because they
were told to do so except they do it as a way to present their learning. The use of
materials in a project encourages children to use and explore new things. They have the
opportunity to select the different materials that they want to use. Children are
motivated to explore the different features of a material such as the color, shape and
texture. They are then able to make connections with real life experience. While the
project based learning can be seen as open-ended too, it also provides opportunities,
possibilities and choices for children allowing them to take ownership making it very
structured (Harris and Gleam, n.d.).
I would like my classroom set up to be like a Montessori school. The classroom
should be child-centered. The materials in the classroom should be organized into topics
such as language, math etc. My intention would be to focus on creating a positive and
imaginative environment for children and allowing them to be independent (Meredith
Miller, 2014). As a teacher I will provide guidance only when it is necessary though I will
demonstrate how to use each material before I allow the child to use it. Creating a
Montessori environment will allow children to be actively involved and learn from
interacting with materials. I will make sure that my classroom has both an indoor and
outdoor play area. Indoor would consist of a dramatic play area, art area, music area,
block area, literacy area, math area, computer area and science area. I believe that all of
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these centers are vital for children to be exposed to at an early age in order to grow and
develop their skills. The outdoor play will consists of a concrete area to play basketball
or any game along with a grass area in which children can play soccer or other field
games. I would also make sure there is a jungle gym with a slider and swings. Lastly,
there will be a sand pit along with a flower garden for children to observe the flowers as
the blossom throughout the year. I believe that play is very beneficial to a childs
learning and therefore I will make sure to integrate the different play areas with the
curriculum. When learning about something specific I will make sure to make
connections in the different areas for example reading books about that topic and
creating crafts about that topic. When play is integrated with the curriculum the
children are able to have a better understanding about the topic in different contexts.
Play can be used as a form of positive reinforcement. Since play is something
that children want to engage in it can be used as a motivation to do work. It can be used
as a reward when children do well. Although I do not think it should be used as a
punishment. All children should have the opportunity to play and it should not be taken
away from them under any circumstances. Sometimes children engage in play
inappropriately as research shows that children have been suspended for making
terroristic threats. A kindergarten girl was suspended for telling another girl she planned
to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty toy gun that bombards targets with soapy bubbles.
(Eric Owens, 2013). I would agree that this is a display of inappropriate behavior
although I would not agree for her to be suspended. The girl was in kindergarten and
mustve not known the severity her actions. Children should be punished when they
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display inappropriate behavior although the little girl was in kindergarten and
suspending her would not allow her to understand the consequences of a suspension.
Children need to be educated on inappropriate toy uses and parents should not expose
children to violence at home.
Recess is the time when children are able to engage freely in activities outdoor.
Recess allows for a lot of opportunities for development. Children are able to develop
cognitive benefits from having a break, social benefits by interacting with peers and
physical benefits by being active. Researchers compared teacher ratings of 8-9-year olds
behavior in schools with and without recess periods. The kids who had more than 15
minutes a day of breaks behaved better during academic time (Stephanie Pappas, 2011).
Recess is very important to have on a daily bases and should not be used as a
punishment. It is the one time in the class that children are able to step out of the
classroom in which the benefit of the environment comes to play. The environment
plays a major role in child development. Children should be exposed to the natural
environment in order to develop. A child should be able to run, to climb, and to explore
natural environment. They could learn a lot by just observing the birds, the sun, or the
trees. In addition, architecture and the layout of surroundings of a child matters.
Children should participate in nature play in order to improve in their growth and
development skills, such as their motor skills. If children are over-scheduled in the
classroom it can lead to many things. Recess is an important part of the school day as it
allows for the child to have a break from the rest of the busy day that they have in
school. It is the one time of the day that the child can do whatever they like.
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In addition, media is significant in an early childhood classroom. Media can be
used both actively and passively. Not only do children learn from watching TV although
active media play can promote media literacy in young children. Children should be
taught how to use the media in terms of reading, evaluating, producing and
communicating in a variety of media. Classrooms should consist of a variety of media
consisting of computers, iPad and interactive whiteboards. The use of media captivates
children and makes learning much more enjoyable. In the classroom media can be used
to scaffold lessons and build upon foundational concepts. If children are exposed to
media at a young age it will prepare them for the future. iPad can be used a reward for
children to work harder or even be used during transition time which gives a break to
teachers yet promotes learning. The different benefits that come with media use in a
classroom consists of intellectual benefits such as problem solving and critical thinking,
educational benefits, social benefits and creative benefits. Teachers should encourage
media use in a classroom although limits should be put on media use as excessive media
use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and
obesity (Suphavee Anandsongkit, 2014).
Moving on, a lot of teachers have been under major pressure to do well in
standardized tests. I believe that children learn best through play and if teachers focus
too much on standardized tests it takes away opportunities for other learning
experiences. Some students may not be good at test-taking and should not be evaluated
on that. Children should have opportunities to play and be assessed on their growth.
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After discussing about the different benefits of play in the classroom there are several
recommendations that I would suggests for parents, administrators and policy makers.
First off, parents tend to doubt the value of play for young children. Many parents
believe that what worked for them will work for their child. They believe that the old
drill and skill approach to learning facts and concepts in a strict, predetermined
sequence is the only correct effective kind of education (Johnson, Christie, Wardle,
2005, Page 206). This certainly needs to change. Through the change in generations,
there has been a lot more inventions that have developed and foster learning. Parents
need to be aware that there have been a lot of studies that show a direct link between
play in young children and memory, school adjustment, oral language development,
improved social skills, school adjustment and self-regulation. Some suggests that
children who do not play will become mentally unhealthy adults. (Johnson, Christie,
Wardle, 2005) Moreover, administrators have always seen play as a break from
important academic. Instead they need to be more educated on the background of early
childhood education. Administrators and policy makers have to understand that play is
essential in early childhood as it helps children become self-motivated learners. Just
because children are able to play without any adult supervision does not mean that they
are not learning. Play is very important in childhood education and should be
incorporated in every classroom in order for a child to grow.



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References
Anandsongkit, S (2014), Media Play
[PowerPoint Slides 3,5,6] Retrieved from Angel ECE 479, PSU
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Johnson, James E., James F. Christie, and Francis Wardle. Play, Development, and Early
Education. Boston: Pearson/A and B, 2005. Print.
Miller, M (2014), Montesorri School
[PowerPoint Slides 3,4] Retrieved from Angel ECE 479, PSU
Owens, Eric. Seven year old boy lobs pretend grenade during recess gets suspended
2013. <http://www.dailycaller.com>.
Pappas, Stephanie. "The Top 5 Benefits of Play." Live Science. Tech Media Network, 12
Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/15541-top-5-benefits-
play.html>.
Reubke Philipp "More Time and Space for Free Play in Early Childhood Care." More
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28 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.iaswece.org/waldorf_education/articles_and_resources/more_time_a
nd_space_for_free_play.aspx>.
Stern, R (2014), The Reggio Emelia Approach
[PowerPoint Slides 4,8,12] Retrieved from Angel ECE 479, PSU