Sometimes the learning potential of a child’s play is not obvious to see. As adults we look and see boxes and pipe cleaners and scraps of tape…
…where a child delights in a house which needs more decoration, family members adorned with all manner of personal decoration, and vehicles to speed around a city of boxes. Places to go, people to see, conversations to be had. All stemming from the imagination and personal experience of a child.
Self initiated play is important for children’s learning. Play is the means by which children’s experiences are processed and made meaningful. These ‘pretend’ actions and conversations are an important part of a young child’s learning. It is why Immy has open access to recycleables and art materials, both of which she regularly accesses in her play and which assist her as she learns to make independent choices, to combine materials in different ways, and to represent her ideas symbolically. This is learning in action, learning through play.
What have you been learning through play this week?
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Happy playing!
Read more of Christie's adventures at http://childhood101.com.
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My kids went wild with pipe cleaners this week, too. They can be so many things!
Thanks for hosting!
Love your concept of Immy having the resources of creating and using her imagination..
Pipecleaners are popular here as well. Immy has definitely inherited rich imagination of her mommy
I love your daughter’s creations! Great examples of the best kind of play
Love this and so agree.
I agree that art materials and found materials should be readily accessible for creative play…you never know what big ideas will generate (and need to be acted upon!) over the course of an inspiring day!!
I think we may just be kindred spirits, Rachelle
My three have their own desk complete with drawers full of different materials for them to use. Our kitchen is half art room and I couldn’t be happier that this is the case. I remember that one packet of pipecleaners kept them busy for a 2.5hr drive one day and the rest of the weekend we were away – amazing.
‘If we allow people to shape their own small worlds during childhood, then they will grow up knowing and feeling they can participate in shaping the big world tomorrow’ (Sobel, 1990)
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