Play and learning---Dramatic Play

                                                              DRAMATIC PLAY

      
        Play is a early way for children to learn.Through play children can develop their ideas about the world . Dramatic play is one of the way for the children to develop their ideas. It help them to build some necessary skills. They also learn how to solve problem and feel good when they play also. This because children always full with imagination when they play. When the children is playing dramatic play they able to learn about them, friends, others, and the environment they living in. Other than that through play the children can form a relationship with friends and they  playing in the dramatic play. The only way to the children to learn not only teacher-directed, like children sit and do their worksheet or use flash card to learn letters and numbers. It more than that.                    

    

           Through dramatic play the children can develop their physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. The children can develop their physical development as they playing. It help them to increase their strength, overall fitness, and their motor skills. Other than that the children also develop
their cognitive development. When they playing they increase their skills such as problemsolving, creative thinking, planning, organizing and language. For example Kathy and Julieis having fruit store at dramatic playarea that the teacher have set for them. The teacheralso have label all the things and the fruits in the fruit store. When Kathy is as the salespeople and Julie as the customer. They learn new vocabulary when Julie ask for pamelon,kiwi and watermelon fruit at Kathy. Other than that also the children can developtheir social and emotional development. Like the children can develop their skillscooperation, taking turn, sharing, and they also can build their self esteem as they playing. For example Sally can share her grocery basket with Amanda when they playing having grocerystore that the teacher have set for them to play. 

                                                            

                                                                     

         A dramatic play area can be done with real props that not being using. The dramatic play area should be design at a specific area in the classroom so it won’t disturb other children. The dramatic play area can be done using real props and unexpensive play material. So the children can experience a
real life of playing a dramatic play. For example the children can have unuse cashier machine for store that they having. Other than that the children also can have some certain time to play at the dramatic play area. Futhermore, the props and the things that been using at the dramatic play area should be

label for the children to learn new vocabulary words. They play center should include the materials stimulate their literacy activities such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. The children also have to play according to the theme that the teacher have setting for them. For example one of the week the children having theme about flower and the dramatic play area can be set upon gardening or any other thing that related to flow.

         The dramatic play area should involved with the themes. When the children is playing at the play center they should engage in their social play and the play center also have to contribute their physical, cognitive,
emotional and social development. The material have been use should be developmentally appropriate for young children. The dramatic play area is giving the children a healthy development. Through dramatic play the children can learn how to live when they became adults later.

                                                     

           Malaysia school system should enchance dramatic play into their preschool system. Not only book reading, writing, or use flashcard to learn letters and numbers. The children should have some dramatic play area in their class so they can develop their leadership skills. Other than that play also influence in their physical, social, cognitive and emotional. I will create a dramatic play area for the children using real props. This because I want the children to experience the real life situation and it very important for early years. For example I will set a theme such as flower for a week and for the dramatic play I will set garden for the children at the outdoor using real props such as flower pots, some boxes, fake fertilizer and children
gardening tool for them to do their gardening and label it according to the name. So the children can act in the set that I have design for them. For example Julie can act as gardening and Alex can help her to put fertilizer to the plant and water it. From there they can know that flower need water and fertilizer to growth.

         Beside that the parents can help their to contribute at the dramatic play. They can provide play thing for the children to play at the preschool. Other than that parents cacan provide simple thing for the children to play. Like give them to play with pots, boxes and let them to play with their imagination not by buy
them toys and let the toys does the tricks all. Other than that  I will respond to the children play.  If the group of children acting in the school bus I will ask them where is this the school bus is going. When the children

respond to me I can the children is know what there  doing The Malaysia school system should bring play and learning to their curriculum so the children can have the dramatic play in their learning at the preschool, by dramatic play the children able to develop many thing and learn many thing.  

·        Elkind, D. (1981) The Hurried Child: Growing up Too
Fast Too Soon. Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing
Company.

·        Myhre, S.M. (1993).
Enhancing your dramatic-play area through the use of prop boxes. Young
Children, 48(5): 6-11.

  Bredekamp, S. (1999). Developmentally appropriate practice for children
birth through age 8. Washington
D.C.: National Association for
the Education of Young Children

 
SCSJ-0005437(REBECCA CHANDRAN)

The Importance of Play Based Learning

                                      LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

   

   Often we hear experts talking about the importance of ‘play-based learning’ for our kids development but what exactly is it?And why is it deemed to be so important?

      Play-based learning is a technical way of describing the way kids, especially young kids, explore and make sense of their world. Kids who are encouraged tolearn and grow in this way learn to use their brains in different ways to understand and solve problems. Through play-based learning, children development and understanding of the social and physical conditions that define their worldand the language and symbols that are used to describe it.

      It doesn’t matter whether your child plays on their own, with another child, or independently alongside another child; they are experiencing an intense period of learning, using all their senses. It’s nearly impossible for us, who are so used to the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of the world, to imagine what it must be like to be making sense of a world where nearly everything is unknown and untested.

     

        You can encourage play-based learning in your young ones by allowing children extended independent

or group play periods, providing appropriate materials and resources from around the house, and encouraging and challenging children in their play.

Kids who have been given plenty of opportunities for play-based learning will have a great start in life Among other things, it is believed they will develop self confidence, a positive self-image,  social and  language skills, curiosity, persistence and concentration.What’s more, as they get older they are more to likely engage in activities, such as sport or youth clubs, which will develop their life skills further.

SCSJ-0005437(REBECCA CHANDRAN)

          

   





                   

Story telling for children

Storytelling is not just a nice extra in life. I found story books are a great way to educate a child because the child doe not feel that you will again start giving a lecture about what is right and what is wrong. If you keep saying things like 'Do not lie' or 'You should be obedient', no child will pay much attention to what you say because they will become defensive and not really learn anything. Instead of accusing children of doing things that they are not supposed to do, using a story which enables them to understand why they should behave in a certain way will ensure that they do not feel like justifying their misbehavior. It is only natural that they will remember stories better than your reprimands.I have experience it in my life also.The story is like this....

 On day morning, one of my student mother came and told me that her daughter refuse to share thing or food to her friend or even to her brother. Her ask my help to "Teacher Chitra can you teach or advice my child to share thing?" When I observe the child during the snack time, her friend Alia gave her a slice of bread Aswini took it when Alia ask for her nugget, she refuse to give it. So what I did the next day, I come out with a story on sharing. Before I start the class, I told the story to children. I discuss with the children, what they learned from the story. Believe it or not my tactic works. Do you want to know what happen next?

During the snack time, I ask the children "Can you share your food children". They said "Yes, teacher." I start to observe Aswini. She bring her food to Alia and give her a piece of her banana cake “This is for you Alia.Teacher said we have to share our thing and toy. Yesterday, you give me bread, today i give you cake."So I not only read story book to enhance good habit but I also be a good role model for children. Every time when i bring food, i will share with my children. After, three days I was the duty teacher on the day. When, Aswini mother came to took her, she really thanks me a lot."Teacher for past three day Aswini and her brother do not fight each other. The amazing part is she told her brother story something about sharing."Then, I told her, actually, I only read for the whole class the story on sharing.I also use story to introduce new topic for children.Example, to teach about the butterfly's life cycle, I use "The hungry caterpillar by Eric Carl". I found it  helps students better understand and later recall information easily when I ask the children.



Storytelling as “unsurpassed as a tool for learning about ourselves, about the ever-increasing information available to us, and about the thoughts and feelings of others” (NCTE, Teaching Storytelling).

Story time helps your child get your undivided attention and helps develop his listening skills, which are a rarity today.There many  benefit of story telling;media to convey values and ethics,introduced form of emotion and expand vocabulary.

Stories add so much to life, and the benefits they bring to a child's education have been documented time and time again. So, bring on the stories!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW STORY FOR CHILDREN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUmSnvJfzEg
 CHITRA ARUJUNAN
SCSJ-0004150

Children's book story that is engaging with beautiful illustrations

How TV affect Young Children.

                                                               KidsHealth
                                        from the health expert of Nemours

Most kids plug into the world of television long before they enter school. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF):

• two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch a screen an average of 2 hours a day
• kids under age 6 watch an average of about 2 hours of screen media a day, primarily TV and videos or DVDs
• kids and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of a TV screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer (outside of schoolwork) and playing video games

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming.
The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.
As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family.
Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer.
But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental:

• Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight.
• Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
• TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.

Children's advocates are divided when it comes to solutions. Although many urge for more hours per week of educational programming, others assert that no TV is the best solution. And some say it's better for parents to control the use of TV and to teach kids that it's for occasional entertainment, not for constant escapism.That's why it's so important for you to monitor the content of TV programming and set viewing limits to ensure that your kids don't spend too much time watching TV.

Teaching Good TV Habits

Here are some practical ways to make TV-viewing more productive in your home:

• Limit the number of TV-watching hours:
• Stock the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, kids' magazines, toys, puzzles, board games, etc.) to encourage kids to do something other than watch the tube.
• Keep TVs out of bedrooms.
• Turn the TV off during meals.
• Don't allow kids to watch TV while doing homework.
• Treat TV as a privilege to be earned — not a right. Establish and enforce family TV viewing rules, such as TV is allowed only after chores and homework are completed.
• Try a weekday ban. Schoolwork, sports activities, and job responsibilities make it tough to find extra family time during the week

• Offer fun alternatives to television. If your kids want to watch TV but you want to turn off the tube, suggest that you all play a board game, start a game of hide and seek, play outside, read, work on crafts or hobbies.
• Check the TV listings and program reviews ahead of time for programs your family can watch together (i.e., developmentally appropriate and nonviolent programs that reinforce your family's values). Choose shows that foster interest and learning in hobbies and education (reading, science, etc.).

I believe play make children learn better.

What's informal learning? It's when children learn through their own exploration and activity, as they follow their personal interests and grasp concepts naturally. Also referred to as "playful learning," it's what kids do best.

When I doing this course, I learn that children learn better when they engage in hand on learning. .Lessons from books are great, but children learn through play far better than they do in other forms. There are several reasons for this. Whenever the lecturer , told  that while it may appear that all children are doing is playing for fun, it is actually a much more important part of a child's developmental process. Playing is a very natural way for children to learn because it uses all of their senses. Playtime is also a cognitive learning exercise where children practice taking in information and organizing it to solve problems and understand their environment ,I always want to find about it.Do you want to know what I did? My kindergarten is more on drill with workbook  My classroom alway look so boring. My children alway look so bored or there will be day dreamer in the classroom. It  is because children have know chnace to explore or engage in learning process. So there is one  child in my classroom  who is still do not able to count in sequence.But other children are more advance then her,they able to do addition and subtraction.

What I did is carry out own research to see how the child learn better when they are given concrete activity.I come out with my own teaching material for the children. the next day ,during P.E time and teach her how to use it and make her to explore the material. Believe it or not she is able to count in sequence in the three count.She able to match the numeral to object. Then, I continue to use  the material to teach addition and subtraction. In a month she have pick up the concept . One day .morning ,her mother come to the classroom she hold my hand and thank me a lot. There come my principle to see what is happening in the classroom , the child's parent told to my principle"Madam, this teacher is really help my child to improve lot. She is great." Once again she thank me and leave the classroom happily. After, that my principle called me to the office. "I'm so proud that I have young teacher who are really showing the love and responsibility toward the    children. Well done." I feel so proud .

Even though my kindergarten are using  traditional method of teaching. I will still do some small game or come up with simple teaching aid related to the topic. I found children, are more actively engaging in the classroom activity .I never been stop on with it. I love to create teaching aid for children. I always read lot of article and book to find out on how to create teaching material that are appropriate for children. And like to use the material that I have created for assignment to evaluate with children. I love to do research on how to teach children with more appropriate lesson with teaching aid.From my experience, I found play is vital for children to learn .Play is a "brain food" to help brains develop in ways critical to school success. It provides the foundation for learning including language, reading, thinking and reasoning skills.The most authentic play experiences are child-initiated, freely chosen, and child powered. Such play is pleasurable and fun, active and mind absorbing. 
 http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1842248/the_secret_of_play_ann_pleshette_murphy/

CHITRA ARUJUNAN
SCSJ-0004150