“Play is the most important resource that children have to help them grow, learn and connect with people, the world around them and their imagination.” Froebel Trust
At our school, learning through play forms the bedrock of our belief about how all children learn. It is through play that children make sense of the world they inhabit, build relationships and develop confidence and resilience.
Play stimulates curiosity and wonder; it invites connections and provokes questions and it is joyful, feeding children’s self-belief, resilience, compassion and wellbeing. At its core is each child and their individual personalities, needs, interests and passions.
Play is not an add-on for after the ‘learning’ is done; on the contrary it is the essential driver of all learning. In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, play forms the context in which learning can be applied, tested, re-imagined and extended. Research shows that young children’s brains are developing rapidly; they are building the executive function skills they’ll need later in life. Through play they learn to regulate themselves, to be resilient and to persevere.
The philosophy of early years is woven throughout our school, with children in all year groups learning through playing with ideas, questioning what they discover, exploring their interests and shaping authentic learning. Through our Big Questions, children experience connected thinking and learning throughout their journey at school, just as the very youngest of our children are exploring and seeking to know the amazing world they encounter with each experience.
George and Bythesea (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2)
“Play is the answer to how anything new comes about.” Piaget
Children in George and Bythesea benefit from learning through Continuous Provision throughout the three years they are in EYFS and KS1. Continuous Provision refers to a carefully curated and open-ended indoor and outdoor learning environment which offers children the chance to explore, play, problem-solve and collaborate. It is where children play with concepts that they have been exposed to at school or at home. They are given time, space and resources to develop ideas, be creative, rehearse skills and deepen understanding.
“I’m making Prospero’s island and this is where Caliban lives” – a child building with Lego says, reflecting on ideas of plot and setting in The Tempest.
“There’s something moving in the pond!” – a cry of delight from a child head bowed over the water in focused observation.
“We’re adding soap to this ramp to see if the cars will go faster!” – a group of children exploring friction and speed together.
“Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning… then perhaps teaching will be different.” Loris Malaguzzi, Reggio Emilia
Our role as teachers is to nurture children’s sense of self, to inspire and extend their thinking, while working alongside them as co‑constructors of understanding. Through warm, respectful relationships and thoughtful interactions, we support children to take risks, solve problems, build resilience and develop confidence in themselves as learners.
Our school is a place where laughter, creativity and imagination are our way of life; children feel safe, valued and empowered.
Working in partnership with our families, we aim to provide the richest possible start to each child’s journey—one rooted in play, shaped by curiosity, and driven by a delight in creativity.
“Play is a fundamental and vital dimension of the pleasure of childhood, as well as an essential component of physical, social, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development.” UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2013
More ideas about play and learning:
Stop Asking Children to Choose Between Play and Learning – Head Learner