Unpacking play

Preschool Cycle Program Training

Session 2 – October 2022

�Ana Ardelean��Teacher/trainer, play consultant, playworker, project manager, researcher, lecturer, with over 16 years of experience leading play and playwork initiatives for children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, in a range of settings and countries. ���‘Children are living messages we send to a time we will not see.’ – Neil Postman (1982)

Session Overview

• play – what is it & its value
• the role of adults in children’s play
• play vs. play-based learning

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Handouts:

• reflection exercise
• list of external resources
• extra reading material

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Learning objectives for today

• By the end of this session, you should be able to:
• define play
• identify benefits of play
• recognise the impact of adults on children’s play
• consider ways of promoting child-led learning in your classroom

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Play memories �breakout room exercise

In your group, share your earliest or most vivid memories of play, guided by the following questions:

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• What were you doing and where?
• Who were you with?
• How did you feel?
• How did you benefit from your play?

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You will be automatically brought back 5 minutes.

What is play?

Play is…

… a process that is:

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• Freely chosen
• Personally directed
• Intrinsically motivated

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Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well being of individuals and communities.

(Playwork Principles Scrutiny Group, 2005)

Play is the unteachable curriculum &�the way children learn the things that cannot be taught

Learning

Play frame

(context or enclosure of play)

Adulteration: adults wanting to rescue, educate, improve, make better, control, play ourselves

The Play Cycle

(Sturrock & Else, 1998)

The play cycle in action…

The value of play

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1. Intrinsic value 🡪 children’s enjoyment of play for its own sake; more likely to be seen in the literature exploring children’s own experiences and cultures of play.

2. Instrumental value 🡪 attaches value for something other than play - in the case of preschool, this tends to be how play can support children’s broad education and development.

3. Institutional value 🡪 what play offers for education settings and their wider stakeholders.

These three forms of value are interrelated, but as Beunderman (2010, p.76) states ‘without the creation of intrinsic benefits, the other two values will be moot’. In other words, if play and play spaces do not work for children, they will not engage in playing and the instrumental and institutional benefits will not accrue.

(Ardelean, Smith & Russell, 2021 p.5)

Instrumental value of play for education settings

• Health and wellbeing benefits: – physical activity, greater energy, disease prevention; – stress reduction, pleasure; – social connectedness and a sense of belonging, friendships; – emotion regulation, healthy stress response systems; – reduction in onset of myopia, increased Vitamin D levels, healthy development of vestibular and proprioception systems.

• Cognitive and academic benefits: – increased attention in the classroom, especially for children with ADHD; – better classroom and on-task behaviour; – more concentration, less fidgeting; language skills.

(links to play schemas – Session 1)

Play & Learning - Schemas �(or schemata)

Instrumental value of play for education settings

• Health and wellbeing benefits: – physical activity, greater energy, disease prevention; – stress reduction, pleasure; – social connectedness and a sense of belonging, friendships; – emotion regulation, healthy stress response systems; – reduction in onset of myopia, increased Vitamin D levels, healthy development of vestibular and proprioception systems.

• Cognitive and academic benefits: – increased attention in the classroom, especially for children with ADHD; – better classroom and on-task behaviour; – more concentration, less fidgeting; language skills.

• Social and emotional benefits: – better negotiation and problem-solving skills; – learning how to deal with conflicts & arguments; – learning how to compromise; – dealing with fear and risk; – building friendships.

• Physical benefits: - children are often more active during play than sports lessons and structured activities; -developed motor skills & balance.

(Ardelean, Smith & Russell, 2021)

The 16 play types (Hughes, 2002)

• Communication play – slang, empathy, expression, understanding
• Creative play – expression, art, building
• Exploratory play – discovery, testing, learning
• Mastery play – control, destruction
• Object play – focus, use, dexterity
• Rough and tumble play – testing, empathy, expression
• Locomotor play – competence, continuous development, reward

• Dramatic play – showing off, ego
• Socio-dramatic play – pretending to be ‘grown up’, reproducing an act
• Role play – mimicking traits, copying
• Social play – sharing, teamwork
• Deep play – risk, thrill, exhilaration
• Fantasy play – alternative worlds
• Imaginative play – art, language, thought
• Symbolic play – representation

Risky (deep) play

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• Reduces risk of obesity
• Develops stress response systems
• Improves physical health and development, gross and fine motor skills
• Develops resilience and coping mechanisms
• Promotes feelings of achievement, development of self-esteem, sense of self & confidence

(Lester & Russell, 2008)

• In control of being out of control - a sense of both risk and mastery simultaneously (Gordon & Esbjorn-Hargens, 2007).

‘Bicycling fast in a turn is fun … but also scary because I can crash – it tickles in my tummy’ (Sandseter, 2010, p.82).

• systematic review of 21 research studies carried (Brussoni et al., 2015) found that overall, the health benefits from risky outdoor play were greater than those associated with avoiding risk.

Play fighting (rough & tumble)

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Only 1% of play fights can turn into real fights if there are honest mistakes or suspicion of cheating.

Schåfer & Smith (1996)

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Engaging in rough and tumble play does not increase aggression and provides many developmental and learning benefits.

Brussoni et al. (2015); Bundy et al. (2009).

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Above sources can be found in Ardelean, Smith & Russell (2021)

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The three key conditions for play

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(Russell, 2018)

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The role of adults in play

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• Responding to play cues
• Extending play flow
• Following child’s direction
• Providing resources
• Waiting to be invited
• Observing & learning
• Thinking about when to intervene
• Reflecting on practice
• Being aware of own beliefs, biases & triggers
• Developing intercultural awareness & practice
• Reviewing & evaluating the quality of play

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• Saying ‘no’ too much
• Pre-empt too soon
• Making judgements
• Passing on personal anxieties
• Redirecting children to certain play types
• Adulterating play – over-involved/excited/over-competitive/dominating
• Allowing children to always win
• Being risk-averse
• Shouting ‘be careful!’

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Play Intervention Hierarchy �(Else & Sturrock, 1998)

• Play Maintenance: the play is self-contained – no intervention is necessary

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• Simple involvement: the adult acts as a resource for the play (filling paint pots, reaching for tools etc)

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• Medial Involvement: adults become involved in the children’s play, but only temporarily and know when their involvement is no longer necessary (starting off a game of tag)

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• Complex intervention: a direct and extended overlap between the child and the adult in order to maintain the play frame (when you are invited to engage in role play).

Gender & play in early years

‘’Rogers noted gender differences: although both boys and girls liked to play and draw around similar themes (for example, castles), girls’ play was mostly of domestic and nurturing roles, and the pictures were ‘pretty’, whereas boys played superhero and action roles and their drawing tended towards the more gory, despite teacher attempts to ‘de-gender’ play. Rogers emphasised that it was important to allow sustained periods of play without adult intervention so that complex themes and narratives can develop fully. The research identifes the need for teachers to develop a style of intervention that ‘extends and rejuvenates play, rather than constrains and frustrates it’

(Rogers 2005, p25).’’

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(Lester & Russell, 2008 p.194)

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Girl toys vs. boy toys: an experiment

Play vs. play-based/child-led learning in early years

Part 1

(start at

1.00)

Play vs. play-based/child-led learning in early years

Part 2

Play vs. play-based/child-led learning in early years

Part 3

Group discussion

• Key takeaways from the video(s)
• Are there any differences between the child-led learning practice we’ve just seen and your own preschool practice?
• Are there any barriers preventing you to employ a more child-led approach to learning in your own classroom?
• What do you think would be the impact of adopting more child-led learning in your preschool?

Teachers’ role in play

‘’Given the evidence of the value of play as a support for learning, the teacher must have an understanding of the play process and be confident in play as a teaching and learning medium:

‘Rather than planning activities that look like play, identifying the cues used by children when making categorizations enables us to plan activities that are likely to encourage a playful approach. Knowledge of these cues facilitates research into the developmental potential of play that could help to elevate its status as a medium for learning’.

(Howard and others 2006: 392)’’

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Lester & Russell (2008, p.195)

Session Overview

• play – what is it & its value
• the role of adults in children’s play
• play vs. play-based learning

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Handouts:

• reflection exercise
• list of external resources
• extra reading material

Closing quiz time!

1. How do you think you might develop your daily preschool practice around play as of this week?

2. What piece of information did you find most helpful?

3. What aspect of play do you feel you need to research a bit more?

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We also have a quick evaluation form for you!

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Thank you!�Questions?

You can contact me directly via

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-ardelean/ or Twitter @AnaArdelean13