Page 13 - teachYourChildToRead

One year to two years 13

Play

When children play they are learning. Play allows children to explore
their environment in fun and exciting ways. Play is the way children
make sense of the world around them and consolidate what they learn.

Quality play experiences with you, with others and alone will promote
brain development and language skills required for reading.

What young children need most is love, new experiences and fun.

Play theory

For hundreds of years, early childhood theorists have recognised that
children learn about the world through play. In the late 1700’s, Friedrich
Froebel a German theorist, laid the foundation for modern childhood
education. He was the first person to propose the kindergarten (kinder =
children and garten = garden). Froebel stated that children learn best
through guided play experiences.

In the early 1900’s, John Dewey a well-known American psychologist
and education reformer said that play and real life experiences are the
ideal way for children to learn. He was one of the first theorists to state
that early childhood education should be based on the child’s interests.

Today, it is widely accepted by early childhood specialist across the world
that children learn best through play based experiences and activities
that are based on the child’s current interests.

Children’s development areas are interconnected. Skill acquisition
in all developmental areas such as; physical, social, emotional,
brain functioning and language are necessary for later reading
acquisition.