Learn with Play! Play Based Learning

Feb 8, 2012

Helping your child to learn is as easy as playing with them!

You don't need fancy equipment or a large budget to achieve this. Providing your child with varied activities that contribute to their various areas of development is not difficult, but it is always helpful to have new ways of engaging them easily and without too much effort (because we don't all have large amounts of free time)!

The Early Years Learning Framework defines "play-based learning" as:

‘A context for learning through
which children organise and make
sense of their social worlds, as
they engage actively with people,
objects and representations’
(DEEWR, 2009, p. 46).


Initiating Play based learning is about children being provided with opportunities that allow them to practice various skills from fine and gross motor skills to organising and making sense of the world around them. 

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Simply reading to your child from birth shows them how text works and as they pretend to "read" a book to their favourite toy they are already demonstrating their beginning literacy skills. (Early Literacy) From there they learn that text holds meaning, how text flows and how books and stories work. Eventually they will formally know how to read as they can decipher the text. etc.





Whilst just playing alone or with friends holds lots of learning for little ones (and is of course also very important), being there/available to answer questions, keep focus, garner interest and just communicate can help your child/ren in their understanding and enjoyment even more.

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I often say that the greatest gift you can give to a child is your time and whilst everyone is pressed for it, it is something that all parents should be making an effort to achieve as much as they can.



In this blog I will be posting pictures and ideas for ways that you can play with and engage your children, all with elements of learning of course! I'll also be including some ideas on possible planning or timetabling ideas, reward charts, food for kids and much more. Ideas come from either myself, through my teaching or through ideas sourced and modified from others. Any direct ideas sourced from other origins I will reference to their original owners.

I hope that you enjoy this journey with me and perhaps find a few ideas or inspirations that you can use at home too...



Happy playing,
Debs :)

Read more about Learn with Play at home here. It's a great place to start if you're new.


PS- if you wish to read more on learning and teaching through play or how it relates to supporting the Early Years Learning Framework in Australia, check out this great publication



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