Unfortunately the weather has been on the FREEZING side this week, however we have spent a lot of time engrossed in pretend play because we have had lots of uninterrupted time for free play indoors. As the children have developed in their types of play over the years they are now, at three years old, starting to enhance cooperative play with each other. We have seen imagination take off this week when Inara invited a few friends to go to Mexico with her. She asked Isla and Keegan to join her in the quiet cube and they went to gather the necessary items they needed for the trip. Petra and Estella observed them gathering the items and quickly joined in on the adventure. These friends worked to gather items and negotiated roles so they could act out the idea of traveling. James, Declan and Elliot did not join in on the trip that morning; however after lunch they decided to sunbathe on the sand and go swimming in a pool and what is the best thing to do at a pool? Why jump in and make a big splash of course! So that’s what they did off of a small ledge, taking turns that showed off their best moves and kicks as they flew through the air.
Inara and her friends we engaging in socio-dramatic play, allowing them to take part in some cultural roles and practices, to test out relations of power and imaginatively explore new possibilities. James and his friends were engaging in a form of dizzy play, they tested physical boundaries and having the exiting feeling of being on the edge together to erupting in laughter with each other. Different types of play build not only the social relationships the children have but the brain development as they comprehend different roles and process what they have experienced in their daily home life.
– Play, Participation, and Possibilities: An early learning and child care curriculum framework for Alberta. Pg. 98. 2014
As each child has a different cultural experiences at home the mash up of different ideas learned through play in the classroom are endless. What type of play does your child bring home from the classroom?
We are hoping for nicer weather next week so we can go and explore all the wonderful snow that has fallen this week during the cold snap. Please make sure your child has all the right gear to spend lots of time outside! Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!
Jessica, Brooke, Paulette
