Creative play
D1 – describe the activity
You will need;
2 medium sized containers
2 different coloured paints
Paint brushes (different sizes)
Pasta (different shapes)
Different colour sting
Scissors
Coloured paper
Beads
Glue
Pour the pasta into the separate containers. Allow the children to paint the pasta. Use the different colour paint for each container. When they have finished painting, leave the pasta to dry. When they have dried the children can choose whether to make jewellery or use the pasta to decorate their drawings.
D2 – what is the purpose or aim of the activity? Include the age of the children.
This activity is for children aged 3 or 4. It will help to develop their hand and eye co – ordination skills, whilst making their jewellery, threading the string through the pasta. It helps develop their fine motor skills. It helps with their social development because they are working with other children and learning how to take turns.
“Children need to feel secure, valued and loved without this emotional support; they find it hard to show co – operative behaviour. Attention seeking behaviour can be assign that a child needs more support”
Tassoni p, (2007) childcare education 3rd edition page 44
This activity will also support their language and communication skills because they are talking to other children, telling each other what they’re making and who they’re doing it for.
D3 – describe how the activity is set up to promote the children the children’s interest.
Get the children’s attention firstly and tell them to come and help you set up the activity. When you’re choosing the paint ask the children what colours they want to use. Choose a child to pour the pasta into the containers, give all the children paint brushes to paint the pasta, supervise them to make sure they are all playing together and encourage all the children to take part in the activity. Once all the pasta has been painted take the trays and put them away to dry, explaining to them the next step of the activity. When the pasta has dried put them onto a table, (still in the containers) get out any beads that may be around and ask the children” who wants to make a necklace or bracelet”. You give the children the choice of what they want to make, while they are doing so interact with them, ask them questions about what they are making, keeping an eye out for the children that are struggling.
“Play may also serve as a pretext, allowing people to explore reactions of others by engaging in playful interaction.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_(activity)
D4 – health and safety considerations
Consider any skin allergies of the children. They may not be able to use the paint. Make sure the children are supervised at all times when making the jewellery because the small beads are choking hazards.
D5 – the adult’s role in stimulating play in this activity.
During this activity the practitioner will play the role of the facilitator. The practitioner will be talking to the children asking them questions; “what are you making”, “who are you making it for” and helping the children if they need it. He/she will try and encourage the children who are having trouble and motivating them giving each child praise and acknowledging their efforts.
D6 – explain how this activity provided for children’s choices
This activity allows the children to make choices and be independent with their play when they’re making their jewellery they can choose whether to make a necklace or a bracelet and they will be able to choose what colour string they would like to use. They can also choose what shape pasta there are.
C1 – description of a resource that supports spontaneity and choice
The beads support the children’s element of choice because there are different beads of shapes and size a colour; it supports their spontaneity because each child’s jewellery will be different and unique.
D7 – how does this activity meet the individual needs of the children?
This activity can be for all children. Children with allergies may not be able to do the painting part of the activity. Children with learning needs can take part with the help and supervision of an adult because they might not fully understand what to do so the adult can support and encourage them.
B1 – explain how the activity can be extended to meet individual play needs.
To extend this activity you could use the pasta for different things. Getting a box and gluing the pasta onto it. Making pictures with the pasta. The children could use the left over pasta as food in a food tray. This activity is suitable for a child with learning needs because it’s supervised by an adult, the child will get help.
Investigative play
D1 – describe the activity
A mini house.
The equipment needed:
Long piece of cardboard or card
Scissors
Paint
Pencil
The practitioner will cut a large will cut a large rectangular shape out of the card and cut on opening as a door. Then he/she will get the children involved, they will paint the card once the card has dried find a place in the room, in a corner for example and duct tape it so it’s standing up and the children can get in and out of it. Once that is finished the children can use their toys for example, tea sets, to decorate in side and the can put pictures up on the card.
D2 – what is the purpose or aim of the activity? Include the age of the children.
This activity is for children aged 3 -5.The aim is to encourage the children to take what they see in everyday life and put it into play example mums and das they see what their parents do and imitates it. This activity can help to develop children’s fine motor skills, help with their physical development when painting and decorating the house. It also helps with the language and communication skills – social development.
D3 – describe how the activity is set up to promote the children the children’s interest.
This activity is run by the children because they get to say what they want it to be like. The children would be involved in cutting the card, with each child taking a turn. They would choose like what on the card. Each child is involved in the process.
D4 – health and safety considerations
This activity involves cutting using scissors. It’s important to supervise those children while doing so because they could cut themselves. They children will need to wear aprons so the paint doesn’t get onto their cloths.
D5 – the adult’s role in stimulating play in this activity
During this activity the practitioner has to be able to hold the children’s attentions so getting all the children around and asking them to help. Speak about the activity every time you do something different explain to the children what you’re doing. When the children are taking part ask them questions; “what do you think we’re making” getting them to think about it. Motivate all the children and allow everyone to take part
D6 – explain how this activity provided for children’s choices
This activity provided the children with choice because they have choices of what colour paint they would like to use. There are different sized paint brushes. There are different things the children can do for example making pictures which are still linked to the making. The children may have pictures that they have made previously that they may want to put up on the card as decoration.
C1 – description of a resource that supports spontaneity and choice
Each child has to make a picture which is the struck inside of the den. This supports the child’s spontaneity because each picture will be created differently for example some might choose to use paint instead of pencils or crayons.
D7 – how does this activity meet individual needs of the children?
This activity can be adjusted to fit every child. A child with allergies can still take part in the making by choosing different toys or making pictures to put into it. A child with learning needs can take part with the assist of an adult.
B1 – explain how the activity can be extended to meet individual play needs
This activity can be extended by adding more resources, more toys that the children can choose from.
Physical play
D1 – describe the activity
The equipment needed:
Different types of balls – to support their choice
In this activity the children will be running around trying to catch each other. The person that is ‘tag’ has a ball their running trying to ‘tag’ someone else, whoever that person is they take the ball and try to ’tag’ the next person.
D2 – what is the purpose or aim of the activity? Include the age of the children.
This activity is for children aged 3 – 6. The aim of this activity is to get the children active, whilst helping them to build up stamina, self-awareness, helping them learn how to coordinate their movement and developing their awareness of space.
“Physical development;
Develops fine manipulative skills
Develops gross motor skills
Builds general coordination
Develops balance”
D3 – describe how the activity is set up to promote the children the children’s interest.
All the children will be taken outside and be introduced to the game. The practitioner will demonstrate the game to the children asking along the way if they all understand. Any child who does not want to take part there will be other activities such as bike riding for them to do.
D4 – health and safety considerations
A risk of playing this game is that a child can fall and really hurt themselves. Its important to tell the children to be careful, looking out for anything that might cause them to fall like a car being in the way. It’s also important that there is a first aider on hand during this play.
D5 – the adult’s role in stimulating play in this activity
During this activity the practitioner will be watching the children making sure they’re playing all together. Looking out for hazards and talking to the children letting them know that their doing a good job. The practitioner will talk to the children helping their play making them know that they are playing the correct way and asking the children questions, and making sure that they are behaving appropriately and taking turns.
D6 – explain how this activity provided for children’s choices
This activity provided for children’s choices because if they didn’t want to participate in the activity there are other things that they can do. They could have chosen the type of ball we used.
C1 – description of a resource that supports spontaneity and choice
There are no resources involved in this activity, only a ball. This does not support spontaneity or choice. We could give the children who were ‘tag’ a belt to make them more aware of their role, the children also has a choice of which balls they want to use for example a small tennis ball or a rugby ball.
D7 – how does this activity meet individual needs of the children?
This activity does not meet learning needs for all children, for example children who have to be in a wheels chair will find it more difficult to take part, children with learning needs could take part, assisted by a practitioner.
B1 – explain how the activity can be extended to meet individual play needs
This activity can be extended by adding another ball so that 2 people can be ‘tag’ at the same time.