Play is the heart of the preschool curriculum. Everything the preschooler does is part of his/her learning process. Their most pleasurable learning and the kind that makes the most indelible impression comes through play. The planned activities of the day and the materials and equipment used can all capitalize on this and foster the growth from dependent to an increasingly self-reliant person.
Social Skills are developed through meeting and resolving conflicts that arise in play. The child makes friends and enemies during play. The child will learn that there are only two or three adults to help many children and that he must often wait his turn. They may have to wait for a toy and if they expect a friend to share they will have to reciprocate. The child’s personality develops through his play and the play inventions of others.
In all the daily activities, the child gradually assumes responsibility for putting away toys, caring for oneself in washroom, participating in serving snacks, putting on their own coats and boots.
The young child’s speech is limited. In sand or clay, painting at the easels or through finger-painting they express feelings for which they have little other language. We must be careful not to make models. The child may be stuck in using art as a means of self-expression. They will be less likely to be creative and more likely to be limited to trying to copy.
Playing With Sand and Water teaches something about the properties of matter. For instance, dry sand will go through a sieve and wet sand does not. Spontaneous experimentation with water can lead to concept development. While playing children discover:
What floats and what sinks.
Water has weight.
Water itself has no colour, but sometimes appears to be green or blue.
Water makes drops.
Water flows and will take on the same shape of any container, etc.
The Block Area helps the child combine the worlds of reality and imagination. They may begin their mathematics with blocks. Two small blocks equal on large block for example.
The Climber offers the child an opportunity to develop the large muscles. Climbing high means feeling big and brave.
The Housekeeping Area is a center of dramatic play. The children reveal themselves and their concepts of the world. They recreate and strive to clarify to themselves the grownup world. Children talk with each other during this play and add to their vocabulary, their concepts and their relationships. They also learn that other children have their own ideas and desires.
Puzzles give the child the opportunity to develop eye hand co-ordination. They may also start to recognize shapes and colours. The interested child uses different approaches, manages feelings of frustration, they practice - they succeed - they master.
Scissors, Needles and Thread help to develop the small muscles in the hand. This is necessary in order for the child to hold a pen or pencil in later years.
Circle Time the time for conversation, language development, music, awareness of the world around us, knowledge of the community helpers, working in a group and learning the importance of others.
When a
child has the opportunity to choose their own play they are learning
self-reliance and responsibility. In the preschool we try to give the children
the minimum of help in order that they may have the maximum chance to grow in
independence. Giving the minimum of help may mean showing how to put on a coat
rather than doing it for them. It may mean giving them enough time to work out a
problem rather than stepping in and solving it for them. We must remember,
however, that looking for opportunities to let children do things for themselves
does not mean denying their request for help. When children ask for help we
listen to their request and answer it in a way that will make them less afraid
of being helpless and dependent on us. We will give only the help, which the
child feels they need.
It is up to the adult to provide the children with as many opportunities for creative activity as possible. It is also up to the adult to take interest in the results and to admire it, no matter how strange. Children need the support and encouragement of their parents and teachers. Sometimes children need to be left alone to pursue an interest in solitary joy. A child needs help with some things sometimes, but participating in children’s play should be by invitation. Mostly they are happier with their contemporaries. Young children are dependent on adults, but we believe that a child should have the opportunity to enjoy things on their own and to gain self-confidence from it. It is at preschool that the beginnings of self-effort and independence are discovered.