Play in the Preschool Classroom free essay sample

The article I chose to read is called â€Å"Play in the Preschool Classroom: Its Socioemotional Significance and the Teacher’s Role in Play.† This article is about the emotional and social developmental value at play in the early childhood classroom. It also questions about the developmental benefits of play. The article also discusses the role teachers could play in making play a developmental and educational experience. There are many different ways that children’s play can be categorized. It can be creativity, adaptation, exploration, experimentation, learning, communication, socialization, acculturation, and mastery play. Play helps children build and extend their knowledge and skills, as they interact with their environment, others and on their own. When children engage in play, they choose how and what to play by using their imagination. They engage in pretense, and are not concerned with the outcomes as they are with how they are playing. Sociodramatic or pretend play makes-up about two-thirds of all pretend play in preschool. We will write a custom essay sample on Play in the Preschool Classroom or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In this type of play, children take on the roles played by others. Sociodramatic play themes fall into three categories. They are family, character, and functional. Sociodramatic play helps the development and promotion of children’s socioemotional skills. It requires the capacities for reflecting before acting, sensing the perspective of others, and emotional understanding and regulations. It also helps children understand other people’s emotions. There are two types of teacher involvement during play: outside the flow and inside the flow. When a teacher is outside the flow, their involvement is meant to prompt reflection, and may lead to the modification and extension of play. When a teacher is inside the flow of play, they take on a role of participant, and can communicate to extend play. The communication with the children is direct and unmediated. When the teacher is either on the inside or outside of the flow, they play several roles: an observer and recorder, stage manager and facilitator, mediator, or participant. I agree with Godwin’s perspective on the significance of play for early childhood learning, and the teacher’s roles. It is so important for children to learn to play at such an early age because it can help them learn how to deal with people, and emotions later on in life. I am a teacher in a preschool for three year olds. Whether play is used to promote learning and development, really does depend on the teacher’s beliefs, practices, and context. I have known preschool teachers, who very rarely let their children play throughout the day. I personally believe that children lose interest in a lesson if there is no play involved. I feel like the best way for teacher’s to get involved in children’s play is to be a mediator and a participant in play. I believe it is the best way to get on the students level, and teach them as well. For example, if I’m teaching a lesson on fish, during free play time, I will help the children set-up a pretend fishing trip. Some children can play the fisherman, and some can play the fish. Everyone will get a turn to play all the different roles. In the process, they are learning everything they can about fisherman and fish, and having fun. I feel like this article can be applied to me professionally because I am a teacher in an early childhood classroom. I read something’s in this article that I did not know about children, and the significance of play and learning. I will use this information while making my lesson plans and prompting pretend play.