Learning through experience

• Children have to experience play physically and emotionally.
• Children may play alone or with others.
• In their play children use the experiences they have and extend them to build up ideas, concepts and skills.
• While playing children can express fears and re-live anxious experiences. They can try things out, solve problems and be creative and can take risks and use trial and error to find things out.

Video

Exploring cornflour and paint — In a nursery, a young toddler is deeply involved in exploring cornflour, then joins another child and the practitioner in exploring the paint.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

The story tent — In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

Adult involvement

• Play comes naturally and spontaneously to most children, though some need adult support.
• Practitioners plan and resource a challenging environment where children's play can be supported and extended.
• Practitioners can extend and develop children's language and communication in their play through sensitive observation and appropriate intervention.
• Practitioners always intervene in play if it is racist, sexist or in any way offensive, unsafe, violent or bullying.

Video

Exploring cornflour and paint — In a nursery, a young toddler is deeply involved in exploring cornflour, then joins another child and the practitioner in exploring the paint.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

The story tent — In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

Contexts for learning

• Children need plenty of space and time to play, both outdoors and indoors.
• Children who are allowed to play with resources and equipment before using them to solve a problem are more likely to solve the problem successfully.
• Making dens and dressing-up are an integral part of children's play and they don't require expensive resources.
• Role-play areas allow children to take on and rehearse new and familiar roles.

Video

Exploring cornflour and paint — In a nursery, a young toddler is deeply involved in exploring cornflour, then joins another child and the practitioner in exploring the paint.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

The story tent — In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

Effective practice

• Provide flexible resources that can be used in many different ways to facilitate children's play and exploration. These might include lengths of plastic guttering, tubing and watering cans near the sand and water play areas; lengths of fabric and clothes pegs in a box; large paintbrushes and buckets near the outside tap; boxes, clothes horses, old blankets and tablecloths to make dens and shelters.
• Observe children's play and help children to join in if they find it hard to be included, but watch and listen carefully before intervening.
• Find out how children play at home and value different cultural approaches to play.
• Value play which is based on people such as superheroes who may mean a lot to children, even if you do not appreciate them yourself!
• Tell and read stories and encourage children to act them out.

Video

Exploring cornflour and paint — In a nursery, a young toddler is deeply involved in exploring cornflour, then joins another child and the practitioner in exploring the paint.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

The story tent — In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

Challenges and dilemmas

• Valuing the play of all the children, even those who tend to play noisily or often base their play on themes with which you are unfamiliar.
• Knowing when to get involved and when to allow children to carry on playing.

Video

Exploring cornflour and paint — In a nursery, a young toddler is deeply involved in exploring cornflour, then joins another child and the practitioner in exploring the paint.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

The story tent — In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

Reflecting on practice

Imagine that it's a lovely sunny day. You are sitting outside under a tree reading a story to a group of attentive girls when suddenly the peace is shattered by a group of boys running around the tree, shouting loudly and waving sticks. You gather that they are superheroes on a mission and they run off to another tree to do the same thing there. After a few minutes they run back to their den, disappear inside for a few seconds and then come out again to run around shouting.

• How would you react? Why? Does your reaction have anything to do with whether you are male or female?

Video

Exploring cornflour and paint — In a nursery, a young toddler is deeply involved in exploring cornflour, then joins another child and the practitioner in exploring the paint.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.

The story tent — In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]

You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.