Parent post on the Facebook HPUMC Day School Parents' Club Page:
“Thank you for this post! Always good to be reminded of these things and helps to understand how we can be working with our children at home. Can you provide a little more information as to how play really looks in the classroom? Are you talking about free play or how play is incorporated with the curriculum guide? Would love some more blog posts of what play really looks like in conjunction with the curriculum guide. :) We love our Day School teachers. Shout out to Mrs. April for telling me the learning toys and play crafts that Clara really loves so we can have at our house too.”
I love it when sharing information creates a conversation! Thanks to HPUMC Day School Parent, Jacqueline Woldert for asking the above follow-up questions. ♥
In my blog post, "Prescription for PLAY!", I am referring to both free play (child directed) and play activities that are planned with intention and purpose to teach specific skills (teacher directed). Both child directed and teacher directed play are incorporated with the curriculum guide.
The purpose of the HPUMC Day School Curriculum Guide is to provide parents and staff with an overview of our curriculum and learning objectives for children at each stage of development and age. The Curriculum Guide is a framework the teachers may use to when planning their lessons and activities.
Let's take a look...
TODDLERS
For example, when we look at the highlighted skills listed under How Toddlers Learn: Early Reading & Writing (pg. 16), teachers plan “play” activities to develop these skills (pictured below):
Early Reading & Writing
• Enjoys story time
• Develops preference for favorite book
• Develops pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small objects
• Begins to develop hand/eye coordination
• Begins to use writing tools; scribbles
In my blog post, "Prescription for PLAY!", I am referring to both free play (child directed) and play activities that are planned with intention and purpose to teach specific skills (teacher directed). Both child directed and teacher directed play are incorporated with the curriculum guide.
The purpose of the HPUMC Day School Curriculum Guide is to provide parents and staff with an overview of our curriculum and learning objectives for children at each stage of development and age. The Curriculum Guide is a framework the teachers may use to when planning their lessons and activities.
Let's take a look...
TODDLERS
For example, when we look at the highlighted skills listed under How Toddlers Learn: Early Reading & Writing (pg. 16), teachers plan “play” activities to develop these skills (pictured below):
Early Reading & Writing
• Enjoys story time
• Develops preference for favorite book
• Develops pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small objects
• Begins to develop hand/eye coordination
• Begins to use writing tools; scribbles
In addition to these Early Reading & Writing skills, the next activity (showing children under the tables to draw on paper above them Michelangelo-style) demonstrates a creative way that one fun activity teaches children a wide range of skills. See examples of skills listed in the Curriculum Guide following the next two photos.
Art & Music
• Explores art materials such as finger-painting, scribbling with large crayons, and
gluing objects
• Expresses creativity
• Develops coordination and balance
Early Reading & Writing
• Develops pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small objects
• Begins to develop hand/eye coordination
• Begins to use writing tools; scribbles
Early Math & Science
• Learns by discovering and through trial and error
• Learns to understand spatial relations concepts such as up/down, under/over,
inside/outside, on/off
Physical Development
• Developing depth perception
• Strengthens small and large muscles through active play (using the whole arm to draw with crayon)
Social / Emotional Development
• Develops identity and sense of self
• Learning how actions affect others (cause and effect)
• Enjoys simple interactions with others but prefers to play beside other children
• Experiences stranger anxiety and looks for caregivers’ response in uncertain situations
• Begins to show compassion and empathy; comforts other children when they are upset
Self Help Skills
• Learns to regulate emotions
• Follows simple safety rules with reminders
TWO YEAR OLDS
When we look at the highlighted skills under How Two Year Olds Learn: Early Math & Science (pg. 21), teachers plan activities such as:
Early Math & Science
• Begins to rote count 1-5, but not always in the correct order; does not yet
understand quantity
• Begins to understand the words “one” and “two” (e.g., distinguishes “one” or “two” from
many; can identify pairs of items as “two”; identifies three or more items as many” rather
than as “one” or “two”; asks for “one” or “two” of something
• Sorts objects by color
• Sorts toys and puts them away
• Counts objects with assistance
• Enjoys sensory activities
• Measures with scoops, fills and dumps water or sand in sensory table or sandbox
• Learns about nature
• Learns about cause and effect
• Recognizes patterns
• Understands concept of time in terms of “yesterday” and “tomorrow”
• Matches by color, shape and size
• Places objects in order (sequence) and sorts/matches objects
• Explores art materials such as finger-painting, scribbling with large crayons, and
gluing objects
• Expresses creativity
• Develops coordination and balance
Early Reading & Writing
• Develops pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small objects
• Begins to develop hand/eye coordination
• Begins to use writing tools; scribbles
Early Math & Science
• Learns by discovering and through trial and error
• Learns to understand spatial relations concepts such as up/down, under/over,
inside/outside, on/off
Physical Development
• Developing depth perception
• Strengthens small and large muscles through active play (using the whole arm to draw with crayon)
Social / Emotional Development
• Develops identity and sense of self
• Learning how actions affect others (cause and effect)
• Enjoys simple interactions with others but prefers to play beside other children
• Experiences stranger anxiety and looks for caregivers’ response in uncertain situations
• Begins to show compassion and empathy; comforts other children when they are upset
Self Help Skills
• Learns to regulate emotions
• Follows simple safety rules with reminders
TWO YEAR OLDS
When we look at the highlighted skills under How Two Year Olds Learn: Early Math & Science (pg. 21), teachers plan activities such as:
Early Math & Science
• Begins to rote count 1-5, but not always in the correct order; does not yet
understand quantity
• Begins to understand the words “one” and “two” (e.g., distinguishes “one” or “two” from
many; can identify pairs of items as “two”; identifies three or more items as many” rather
than as “one” or “two”; asks for “one” or “two” of something
• Sorts objects by color
• Sorts toys and puts them away
• Counts objects with assistance
• Enjoys sensory activities
• Measures with scoops, fills and dumps water or sand in sensory table or sandbox
• Learns about nature
• Learns about cause and effect
• Recognizes patterns
• Understands concept of time in terms of “yesterday” and “tomorrow”
• Matches by color, shape and size
• Places objects in order (sequence) and sorts/matches objects
Free play (child directed play) activities are also incorporated with the Curriculum Guide, as teachers set up the classroom environment and learning centers with toys and other materials that are age appropriate and inherently promote exploration, learning, and skill development.
PARENT RESOURCES
Book: How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haimes
Healthy Children: The Power of Play - How Fun & Games Help Children Thrive
Scholastic Parents: How to Encourage Free Play
Psychology Today: The Power of Play
Psychology Today: The Decline in Play and Rise in Children’s Mental Disorders
“There’s a reason kids are more anxious and depressed than ever.”