Learning Through Play

[luvmycutebaby]

Young children learn a lot through "just" playing...

What I Learn Through Play

When I do Cooking Projects, I am Learning:
~ About nutrition, tastes and food groups.
~ How heat and cold change things.
~ Concepts of volume and measurement.
~ Part - whole relationships - basic math concepts.
~ An awareness of my own and other cultures.
When I look at Books and Hear Stories, I am Learning:
~ That learning to read is important and enjoyable.
~ That letters on a page represent spoken words written down.
~ To express my own thoughts, feelings and ideas better.
~ To exercise my own imagination.
~ To interpret pictures.
~ To listen well to spoken language.
~ To make up my own stories.
~ To handle books with care.
~ To recognize certain words when I see them in print.
~ To use more and more complex language patterns in my own speech.
~ To follow the development of thoughts and ideas in the plot of a story.
When I Explore With Art Materials, I am Learning:
~ To exercise my imagination and creativity.
~ Concepts of shape, size, location and design, relevant to learning to read.
~ About things that are sticky and things that have different textures.
~ How to create patterns and designs, a math skill.
~ To distinguish patterns from background, a reading skill.
~ That colors mix to create new colors
When I Play on Riding Toys, I am Learning:
~ Strength, balance and coordination of large muscles of legs, torso and arms.
~ To use my energy in a constructive way.
~ Concepts of speed, direction, and location.
~ To use my imagination as I pretend to be different characters & make noises.
~ To negotiate and take turns.
~ To solve problems.
~ Self-confidence as I master new skills.
When I Play with Puppets, I am Learning:
~ To express ideas with words.
~ To take on the role of someone else.
~ To communicate with voice tones as well as words.
~ To use my imagination.
When I Explore Sensory Materials, I am Learning:
~ To exercise my imagination.
~ Concepts of size, shape and volume, empty and full.
~ Concepts of warm and cool, wet, damp and dry, heavy and light.
~ To create systems for classifying, ordering & arranging - skills used in math.
~ To create my own patterns and symbols, skills used in reading and writing.
~ To observe changes, a science skill.
When I Play with Water I am Learning:
~ That some things sink and some things float.
~ To observe changes as water takes different form in different containers.
~ About different temperatures.
~ About wet, dry, and evaporation.
~ What happens when you add soap.
~ Eye-hand coordination as I learn to pour
~ Concepts of empty and full, volume and weight, mathematics
When I Play with Playdough or Clay I am Learning:
~ To see the shape against the background of the table, a reading skill.
~ To see negative space when cookie cutter shapes are taken away.
~ To express feelings, squeezing and pounding.
~ To exercise my imagination and creativity.
~ That the amount of a substance remains the same, even when the shape changes.
When I Play with Pegboards and Other Manipulatives, I am Learning:
~ One to one correspondence .
~ To make patterns and repeat patterns, math concepts.
~ Possible left to right progression, a reading skill.
~ Concepts of addition as I add one peg or bead (for example) at a time.
~ Symmetry, shapes, order and design.
~ Eye-hand coordination, a counting skill
~ Concepts of color, shape and location.
~ Number concepts, as well as "more," "less," "longer," and "shorter".
~ To create and reproduce patterns.
~ Pride in accomplishment.
When I Play Dress Up I am Learning:
~ To be flexible in my thinking.
~ To express myself in sentences.
~ To try on different adult roles.
~ To solve problems, especially socially, through negotiations with friends.
~ To sort and organize playthings.
~ To make decisions.
~ To improvise and use things in a symbolic way to represent something else, a form of abstract thinking.
~ To carry out my ideas, with the cooperation of others.
~ To exercise my imagination and creativity
When I Participate in Circle Time Activities I am Learning:
~ To listen and understand spoken language.
~ To add my ideas to the discussion. My ideas have value.
~ To wait while others are talking
~ New vocabulary connected with the topic of discussion.
~ To remember the words of songs and poems.
~ The names of others in the group.
~ To cooperate and be considerate of the needs of others.
~ To help plan what we will do and what we will need to do it.
When I Examine Objects from Nature, I am Learning:
~ New vocabulary.
~ Concepts of texture, color, weight, size, etc.
~ To group objects into categories, and observe likenesses and differences.
~ To appreciate nature and develop a sense of wonder.
When I Play on Climbing Equipment I am Learning:
~ Self-confidence as I develop new skills.
~ Physical strength, coordination and balance.
~ To use my imagination.
~ To cooperate with others when involved in some dramatic play
When I Play with Letter Games I am Learning:
~ To recognize and name upper and lower case letters.
~ To associate letters with sounds they represent.
~ To recognize my name and certain words.
When I Scribble and Draw I am Learning:
~ To hold a pencil or other drawing tool.
~ To implement and to control the pressure.
~ Eye-hand coordination.
~ To exercise my creativity and imagination.
~ That my ideas have value
~ Concepts of color, shape, size and location.
~ To express myself with words to describe my drawing

I learn a lot through play!