Chapter 9 Play: The Crucible of Learning

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Permalink Reply by Susan Dugan on March 17, 2010 at 5:37pm

This was a particularly thought provoking chapter, because we as a district have struggled with the definition of play. On page 210, the authors state that play is an elusive concept. They compare trying to define play to seizing bubbles in the air. I like how they attribute 5 characteristics to play. That it is fun, not goal driven, voluntary, active engagement and has an element of make believe. It was especially interesting to see how research supports that the level of play rises when a child is interacting with an adult. As teachers we understand the importance of talking with children and extending the dramatic play or block building experience through talk, However, I think some parents are uncomfortable or bored playing with their children.During our Back to School reading nights, it was interesting to watch how some parents engaged with thier children while other people sat and watched.

Permalink Reply by Kristie Leonard on March 18, 2010 at 8:49am

I like using reader theater with the first graders. They get so excitied to make up their own settings, characters and stories. They are having fun and are activley engaged. They are "make believing" they are the character in the story and they can make choices about what they will include in their stories. I have to say the smaller class sizes have had a large impact on the "less structured" activites. It is manageable to have children talking amongst themselves without it being disruptive to the learning environment.

Permalink Reply by Nicole Medvedik on March 18, 2010 at 6:03pm

My students also love reader's theater. Many times I will take a story we are reading and have the students work in small groups to perform. For them, it is fun, not work. They use the opportunity to be creative and even put their own twist on the story. They do not realize that while they are having fun, they are strengthening their comprehension skills by retelling, working on their fluency while they reread the story, and participating in teamwork. Those skills are essential for young children and if they are having fun, the more successful they will be.

Permalink Reply by Julie on March 19, 2010 at 12:14pm

I truly see the effect that my aides and I have during center time when we engage in our students' play. The level of communication and purposeful play definitely rises. I find that the students become more task oriented and tend to use more specific language when interacting with their peers alongside an adult. It is great to be able to guide a child from a meaningless block building session to building a neighborhood with streets, cars, people, community buildings, and etc. Engaging during these play periods builds upon their vocabulary and ability to make connections to themes and ideas we are discussing each week.

Permalink Reply by Sue Castellano on March 21, 2010 at 12:41pm

I like the section "Play 101." I think we see the five attributes of play during our choice time in preschool each day. I also liked the section "How Do Children Play?" and the discussion of how play develops as children grow older. I watched a group of my students playing in the block center this week, and particularly noticed how they were able to think symbolically, and have one object stand for another. One child took some of the big wooden blocks and built a "video store." These blocks are open on two sides, and very large. He then took smaller blocks and began stacking them inside. All the while he explained to his friends that his "store" would be open soon, and he had lots of new "games" (the smaller blocks) that they could "buy." One of his friends quickly joined in and grabbed one of the smallest blocks to "pay" for the "game" he wanted - shortly two other children were holding rectangular blocks, using them as "game controllers," and discussing Mario Kart and Barbie Mermaids! Besides truly using the higher order skill of symbolic thinking, they had taken what we usually consider a solitary experience (video gaming) and turned it into a very social and imaginative play experience!

Permalink Reply by ALYSON CARROLL on March 22, 2010 at 2:03pm

I liked how this chapter talks about raising a child's level of play by joining in as play partners with them. In my Pre-K classroom, there are some very specific things we, as adults, do during play to challenge the child in playful way- without the child knowing it. Meaningful play that is child directed can be very labor intensive for adults who are engaging with them. It is through play that most of my students are developing their laguage, they are expanding vocabulary and building pragmatic language through their interactions with others. At this time in the school year, I love to see how students have progressed in the area of play skills. One child who avoided social interaction and had great difficulty engaging with others is now using language to entice others to engage with him and is demonstrating nice symbolic play skills, which requires some abstract thinking to create ideas and link them together. It was not easy at first to get him to this point, but it surely was possible! I also like the section in this chapter titled "What's the point of play?"- I think this would be a good read for parents. I sometimes don't think it's that parents don't care, but they truly don't know how to "play" with their kids. As early childhood educators it is hard for us to relate to this, but playing with children can be very awkward for some adults.