Written by Amy Laura Dombro
Sponsored by: BAEYC Old Colony Chapter and Bridgewater State University
Facilitated by: Dr. Greg Nelson and Dr. Sue Eliason
Using PI's to Transform Children's Play
How can you apply the
techniques of powerful interactions to extend and enhance children’s play by becoming
a partner in their play? Do more children today need to learn how to play? How
do you join in and contribute to children’s play without pre-empting their
thinking or intentions?
Learning is play for children. We had great discussions on this topic in the group last year. Early education for children should consist of play based curriculum. To accomplish this we have to be part of their play. The interactions that happen when we are playing with them help to extend their learning. I work with mixed ages so my interactions with a 7 month old are very different that the ones with a 4 year old. The problem is often how much to join in and contribute and enter my influence in to the play, often trying to make a teachable moment, or just let the play develop and see where it goes. I think we all face these challenges. The teacher in me always wants to make joyful play into "learning" time. How do others know when to hold back and when to steer the direction of the play into something else?
I think the most teachable moments are usually initiated by the children. One day I was doing snack and one child was shouting at me that he wanted juice. I told him that I was helping 6 children and "I only have two hands" and I'd be with him in a minute. I said "I'm not an octopus." We got into all kinds of discussions about how many hands an octopus has, how does it compare to a squid, etc. I feel I'm a facilitator to knowledge they want. This year I have a particularly high cognitive group of 4 and 5 year olds. I can barely keep up with them. After our first book session I went into my room and must of had 5 powerful interactions in about 10 minutes. This year I am fortunate enough to be able to have these interactions frequently and find it very satisfying. With a high level group that knows how to play, I let them develop it and may add to their props but I try not to interfere with their play. For some reason my preschoolers like to go into the book loft to do their dramatic play instead of using the house center. As long as they are safe I let them do it. I know with the younger children you may have to model "How to play". One thing you may want to consider is that they may already be learning when they are doing "joyful play".
Working in a home daycare with many different age groups it is very interesting to sit back sometimes and watch the kids play. I do agree that some children just don't know how to play. We do offer ideas for them as to what they can do as our interaction but try to let them figure out on their own what they want to play; some still just can't do that on their own and may need more powerful interactions to get them started. With our little guys they just like to pull everything out so it is fun to try to engage them in one activity and really interact with them to get their minds going; even if it is to help them stack blocks and then just sit back and see where they might go with that. I do enjoy playing with the kids but I find if I get to invovled in their play they will look to me to come up with ideas or resolve situations that I feel they should be developing on their own and would if I wasn't right there with them. So maybe a powerful interaction in play would be to tell the child I am really enjoying watching you play and coming up with great ideas on your own and that if they need a suggestion that maybe they could ask one if the other children to help them out.
I think that the kids do not have as much time to have powerful interactions in their own lives with the use of electronics and televisions at home. I have kids under two that know how to use apps. on the phone and which buttons to push which is both amazing and crazy all at the same time. I think it makes our roles more challenging as some children really do not know how to play and entertain themselves without these devices. I find that I have to do a lot more role modeling of even how to play with the doll houses which kids used to be able to pick up and set up a whole scene and the dramatic play would begin. I find that a piece of childhood is being lost and that we really need to foster the imagination and creative thinking processes.
I agree with this, Stacy. With technology where it is, so many children have stepped away from the creative, imaginative play. I think it's sad. Each day, at our center, the room is set up for freeplay upon their entrance. There are small manipulatives, dramatic play areas, books, playdoh, painting, and so on. I love that at least during school time, these children will have good, old fashion play - thinking on their own, creating, using their hands, communicating with others. Because I know, that at home, things may be different for them.
My business name is "Come and Play" that is how children learn to play, by play being the work of childhood. In America we are losing critical thinking with are children because we do not encourage enough Imaginative Play. Children's imaginative play developes symbolic thinking, and children learn to pretend. Children are curious about the world and they want to explore it. When children are curious I extend their learning with purposeful inteactions. We also use problem solving with children as another purposeful interaction it helps to make a strong sense of community in the classroom. I encourage children to think on their own and create their own play and try to put their own thoughts into words. We must remember as educators planning for purposeful interactions in our classroom the following: We remember: 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we see and hear 70% of what we say 90% of what we do and say
Something that we do at our school that can be both a creative learning time, or a time of struggle, is journaling. We have journal time once a week, and our 4-5 year olds are instructed to find the blank page with a sticker on it, and draw anything they wish. For some children, this is an amazing time to focus on creative energy, and for others, it can be a frustrating exercise in not knowing what to do. I think that a blank canvas can be daunting to children that have not been exposed to it. Through gentle encouragement, I have seen children develop their ability to draw their own little piece of their world, but it can sometimes be a struggle to pull it out of them. By asking children to tell us about their drawings, a nice dialogue sometimes forms about a particular hobby or interest of a child. Through acknowledging and asking questions, children can feel validated enough to explore and draw their visions further, thus, at times, creating a positive interaction through their art.
I like your idea of journaling 1x per week and how they find their page with a sticker on it. We do something similiar and I agree it helps them open up about their world and you can learn so much about them and their interests. I find drawing an easier way for quieter children to express themselves and open up their worlds and ideas to us using simple open-ended questions.
Yes, today's children have less unsupervised time to come up with their own ideas or for groups of children to negotiate their own play scenarios. That, plus the passivity generated by technology and pre-fab play materials means our work is cut out for us. Adults have a huge role to play in helping children develop more elaborated and complex social play scenarios. I have found the concept of Improv to be helpful in this context. When we engage with children, no player is the director, there is no script, and no one knows where it will end up. Every reaction must take the events up to that point as real and respond within that context. It is a work-in-progress, and a perfect opportunity for adults to insert new challenges and directions without coercion.
I am very fortunate to have a group of children who could "play " for hours. So much so that I sometimes don't want to interupt their play to do curriculum. As I observe their imaginative play I often find items that could extend their imaginations. Another challenge for them is how to involve Toddlers in their play without having them destroy everything. I'm seeing a lot of re-directing.
We just had this discussion in our PreK Classroom today about our groups this year really need the teachers to help them learn creative play. Our dramatic and imaginitive play are dominated by the electronic battle games they are allowed to play at home. Their "default mode" for play is to recreate the drama they have on their computer, ipad, or parent's iphone. Fighting, crashing,destroying -should we step in to interupt this? Yes I believe we must, not to shut it down but to be that "Steering wheel" that Dombro talks about on pg 106 that allows us to redirect the play in a more appropriate direction.We brought out the bean bag throw game and did lots of whole body movement today. I agree we should be much more of a supporting actor than Director. I encourage my staff to extend their imaginitive play by engaging the children in brainstorming. Playing imaginatively and creatively does need direction this year and it has a direct connection to reading, writing and math as explained on pg 102. Deveopment of symbolic thinking is hugely important. Again it's about meeting the needs of your unique class this year. I love to engage them in planning and brainstorming. I also find the more you do this, the better they get at it. That's powerful.
I believe a teacher can model behavior during play time without interfering with creativity. For example, when we have the grocery store set up, I try to go over and shop for my groceries. The interactions at the check out line are natural ones, when I share with the children what I plan to cook at home. I much prefer this type of interaction during free play times than the ones that might instead occur involving behavior guidance. I often intentionally become involved in creative play situations when I think it will help guide learning and behavior in a positive way. But, sometimes sitting back and observing is wonderful too!
I like to join children at play and see what their interests are. If the children in the block area are trying to make bridges I might ask how else we could make a bridge with our bodies or what other materials in the classroom we could use. We collaborate ideas. I will bring pictures of bridges or books on bridges or sing London Bridges Falling Down. When you build on the child’s interest they will extend the learning experience in every direction.
I agree with Dorothy and Ellen that the best way to help children with play is to just sit in the area (Sometimes just our physical presence can make a difference with behaviour and the direction of the play.), observe and wait to be invited into the play. When offered a cup of coffee, we can respond by asking if there are any cookies to go with it. Then children naturally seem to expand their conversation. If they're very quiet, then mirror talk often helps a shy child to begin to understand the play and learn the appropriate vocabulary, so that the next time they are in the dramatic play area, then can begin to use words to describe what they are doing. That's when you know that your PI has had some impact on a child. Maybe we should take time to listen and document children's PI's instead of our own.
Learning is play for children. We had great discussions on this topic in the group last year. Early education for children should consist of play based curriculum. To accomplish this we have to be part of their play. The interactions that happen when we are playing with them help to extend their learning. I work with mixed ages so my interactions with a 7 month old are very different that the ones with a 4 year old. The problem is often how much to join in and contribute and enter my influence in to the play, often trying to make a teachable moment, or just let the play develop and see where it goes. I think we all face these challenges. The teacher in me always wants to make joyful play into "learning" time. How do others know when to hold back and when to steer the direction of the play into something else?
ReplyDeleteI think the most teachable moments are usually initiated by the children. One day I was doing snack and one child was shouting at me that he wanted juice. I told him that I was helping 6 children and "I only have two hands" and I'd be with him in a minute. I said "I'm not an octopus." We got into all kinds of discussions about how many hands an octopus has, how does it compare to a squid, etc. I feel I'm a facilitator to knowledge they want. This year I have a particularly high cognitive group of 4 and 5 year olds. I can barely keep up with them. After our first book session I went into my room and must of had 5 powerful interactions in about 10 minutes. This year I am fortunate enough to be able to have these interactions frequently and find it very satisfying. With a high level group that knows how to play, I let them develop it and may add to their props but I try not to interfere with their play. For some reason my preschoolers like to go into the book loft to do their dramatic play instead of using the house center. As long as they are safe I let them do it. I know with the younger children you may have to model "How to play". One thing you may want to consider is that they may already be learning when they are doing "joyful play".
DeleteWorking in a home daycare with many different age groups it is very interesting to sit back sometimes and watch the kids play. I do agree that some children just don't know how to play. We do offer ideas for them as to what they can do as our interaction but try to let them figure out on their own what they want to play; some still just can't do that on their own and may need more powerful interactions to get them started. With our little guys they just like to pull everything out so it is fun to try to engage them in one activity and really interact with them to get their minds going; even if it is to help them stack blocks and then just sit back and see where they might go with that. I do enjoy playing with the kids but I find if I get to invovled in their play they will look to me to come up with ideas or resolve situations that I feel they should be developing on their own and would if I wasn't right there with them. So maybe a powerful interaction in play would be to tell the child I am really enjoying watching you play and coming up with great ideas on your own and that if they need a suggestion that maybe they could ask one if the other children to help them out.
ReplyDeleteI think that the kids do not have as much time to have powerful interactions in their own lives with the use of electronics and televisions at home. I have kids under two that know how to use apps. on the phone and which buttons to push which is both amazing and crazy all at the same time. I think it makes our roles more challenging as some children really do not know how to play and entertain themselves without these devices. I find that I have to do a lot more role modeling of even how to play with the doll houses which kids used to be able to pick up and set up a whole scene and the dramatic play would begin. I find that a piece of childhood is being lost and that we really need to foster the imagination and creative thinking processes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this, Stacy. With technology where it is, so many children have stepped away from the creative, imaginative play. I think it's sad. Each day, at our center, the room is set up for freeplay upon their entrance. There are small manipulatives, dramatic play areas, books, playdoh, painting, and so on. I love that at least during school time, these children will have good, old fashion play - thinking on their own, creating, using their hands, communicating with others. Because I know, that at home, things may be different for them.
DeletePLAY
ReplyDeleteis the work of childhood
By Fred Rodgers
My business name is "Come and Play" that is how children learn to play, by play being the work of childhood. In America we are losing critical thinking with are children because we do not encourage enough Imaginative Play. Children's imaginative play developes symbolic thinking, and children learn to pretend. Children are curious about the world and they want to explore it. When children are curious I extend their learning with purposeful inteactions.
We also use problem solving with children as another purposeful interaction it helps to make a strong sense of community in the classroom. I encourage children to think on their own and create their own play and try to put their own thoughts into words. We must remember as educators planning for purposeful interactions in our classroom the following:
We remember:
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we say
90% of what we do and say
Is also how children learn.......
Something that we do at our school that can be both a creative learning time, or a time of struggle, is journaling. We have journal time once a week, and our 4-5 year olds are instructed to find the blank page with a sticker on it, and draw anything they wish. For some children, this is an amazing time to focus on creative energy, and for others, it can be a frustrating exercise in not knowing what to do. I think that a blank canvas can be daunting to children that have not been exposed to it. Through gentle encouragement, I have seen children develop their ability to draw their own little piece of their world, but it can sometimes be a struggle to pull it out of them. By asking children to tell us about their drawings, a nice dialogue sometimes forms about a particular hobby or interest of a child. Through acknowledging and asking questions, children can feel validated enough to explore and draw their visions further, thus, at times, creating a positive interaction through their art.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of journaling 1x per week and how they find their page with a sticker on it. We do something similiar and I agree it helps them open up about their world and you can learn so much about them and their interests. I find drawing an easier way for quieter children to express themselves and open up their worlds and ideas to us using simple open-ended questions.
ReplyDeleteYes, today's children have less unsupervised time to come up with their own ideas or for groups of children to negotiate their own play scenarios. That, plus the passivity generated by technology and pre-fab play materials means our work is cut out for us. Adults have a huge role to play in helping children develop more elaborated and complex social play scenarios. I have found the concept of Improv to be helpful in this context. When we engage with children, no player is the director, there is no script, and no one knows where it will end up. Every reaction must take the events up to that point as real and respond within that context. It is a work-in-progress, and a perfect opportunity for adults to insert new challenges and directions without coercion.
ReplyDeleteI am very fortunate to have a group of children who could "play " for hours. So much so that I sometimes don't want to interupt their play to do curriculum. As I observe their imaginative play I often find items that could extend their imaginations. Another challenge for them is how to involve Toddlers in their play without having them destroy everything. I'm seeing a lot of re-directing.
ReplyDeleteWe just had this discussion in our PreK Classroom today about our groups this year really need the teachers to help them learn creative play. Our dramatic and imaginitive play are dominated by the electronic battle games they are allowed to play at home. Their "default mode" for play is to recreate the drama they have on their computer, ipad, or parent's iphone. Fighting, crashing,destroying -should we step in to interupt this? Yes I believe we must, not to shut it down but to be that "Steering wheel" that Dombro talks about on pg 106 that allows us to redirect the play in a more appropriate direction.We brought out the bean bag throw game and did lots of whole body movement today. I agree we should be much more of a supporting actor than Director. I encourage my staff to extend their imaginitive play by engaging the children in brainstorming. Playing imaginatively and creatively does need direction this year and it has a direct connection to reading, writing and math as explained on pg 102. Deveopment of symbolic thinking is hugely important.
ReplyDeleteAgain it's about meeting the needs of your unique class this year. I love to engage them in planning and brainstorming. I also find the more you do this, the better they get at it. That's powerful.
I believe a teacher can model behavior during play time without interfering with creativity. For example, when we have the grocery store set up, I try to go over and shop for my groceries. The interactions at the check out line are natural ones, when I share with the children what I plan to cook at home. I much prefer this type of interaction during free play times than the ones that might instead occur involving behavior guidance. I often intentionally become involved in creative play situations when I think it will help guide learning and behavior in a positive way. But, sometimes sitting back and observing is wonderful too!
ReplyDeleteI like to join children at play and see what their interests are. If the children in the block area are trying to make bridges I might ask how else we could make a bridge with our bodies or what other materials in the classroom we could use. We collaborate ideas. I will bring pictures of bridges or books on bridges or sing London Bridges Falling Down. When you build on the child’s interest they will extend the learning experience in every direction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dorothy and Ellen that the best way to help children with play is to just sit in the area (Sometimes just our physical presence can make a difference with behaviour and the direction of the play.), observe and wait to be invited into the play. When offered a cup of coffee, we can respond by asking if there are any cookies to go with it. Then children naturally seem to expand their conversation. If they're very quiet, then mirror talk often helps a shy child to begin to understand the play and learn the appropriate vocabulary, so that the next time they are in the dramatic play area, then can begin to use words to describe what they are doing. That's when you know that your PI has had some impact on a child. Maybe we should take time to listen and document children's PI's instead of our own.
ReplyDelete