Although many parents and guardians are aware that kids enjoy playing, did you also know that it’s one of the best ways for them to develop and learn? Some Merrylands childcare centres have a play-based learning approach that enables young children to develop crucial skills in an enjoyable and fun way. We shall look at why it is essential to their development and how it promotes their emotional, social, and cognitive growth in this blog post.
What is learning through play?
This kind of teaching helps kids develop critical thinking, creativity, and social skills through games, exercises, and other imaginative play scenarios.
There are actually different types of play employed in childcare settings, such as:
Cooperative play: where children work together to play a game, build something, or achieve any other goal
Unoccupied play: where infants explore their body movements and surroundings without specific adult intervention
Solitary play: where children play alone, be it by role-playing, interacting with toys, or drawing
Associative play: where children interact with each other while playing, like by talking or sharing toys
Parallel play: where children play alongside each other but do not engage with each other that much
Why is play important for child development?
Cognitive: It helps children think more creatively and approach problems from many angles. It enhances their memory, vocabulary, and attention while helping them in understanding and thinking about cause-and-effect.
Social: Through play, it teaches them how to communicate with others, such as by sharing their toys, taking turns, and understanding their feelings. It fosters the growth of their communication, empathy, and teamwork skills.
Emotional: Through methods like role-playing, it helps them learn to express or process their emotions. It supports their growth in the aspect of resilience, self-awareness, self-perception, and social interactions.
How is play-based learning being used in childcare?
- By improving motivation and engagement as it makes learning more exciting so children remain engaged, allowing them to retain what they learn better.
- By developing key skills as it enables children to learn teamwork and creativity through playing rather than traditional methods.
- By providing a natural learning environment as it allows children to grow at their own pace while developing important skills.
As a parent or guardian, you may want to take better care of your family. Ensuring that your kids are properly educated according to their specific life stage and needs is one of the ways you can do that. If you have children aged below five years old, pick an early learning centre that uses play-based learning like Clovel Childcare. Get in touch with us today to know about our curriculum and programme today!