Importance of play for early learning
In this tutorial you will learn:
- Why it is important to encourage and support children's creative and imaginative development through play
- About the importance of learning to be creative
- What other skills children can learn through play
Table of Contents
- Tutorial Video
- Reading Materials
- ‘The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education’, an article by Jona K. Anderson-McNamee and Sandra J. Bailey
- ‘Learning and developing through play’ from the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework
- ‘What we mean by: Learning through play’ from the Lego Foundation.
- ‘Cooking in the early years’ from La Cote International School Aubonne
- ‘The rules of play’ from the Community Playthings website
- ‘Reading to children is so powerful, so simple and yet so misunderstood’ from the National Literacy Trust
- ‘Conversation skills for children: learning to talk and listen to others’ from the Raising Children website
- 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five’ from the Department for Education.
- 'Development Matters’ from the Department for Education
- Presentation
- Good Practice Example
- Good Practice Example
- Interactive Quiz
- Evidence Opportunities
- Extended Learning
- Click the icon to visit the Brillbaby website which stresses the importance of play. The website provides ideas for suitable activities and offers advice to parents on how they can ensure that children receive the maximum benefit from these activities.
- Click the icon to read an article titled ‘Why Children Need Play’ which was written by Deborah J. Leong PhD and Elena Bodrova PhD, and published by Scholastic. This article explains the important role of play in a child’s early development.
- Click the icon to read ‘Outdoor play’ which is an excerpt from Play, Development and Early Education by Johnson, Christie and Wardle, and reproduced here by Community Playthings Ltd. This extract emphasises the importance of outdoor physical play for a child’s health and well-being.
- Click to read this article on the Famly website called ‘Why do children learn through play?’
- The Family Education website has an article called ‘The importance of playing games with your preschooler’.
- ‘Safety and hygiene rules for kids in the kitchen’ is an article from the Silestone Institute.
- High Speed Training’s article ‘Why is reading so important for children?’ looks at why books and stories are important to children’s learning and development.
- This webpage contains what the Book Trust thinks are the ‘Best books for 0-5 years.
- Learn more about listening and understanding as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), including advice from experts and suggested activities from the UK Government.
- Think And Challenge
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