Early Years Play

Play is a fundamental aspect of early education, serving as a critical tool for children’s development. Through play, children explore their environment, develop social skills, and learn to solve problems creatively. It fosters cognitive growth by encouraging curiosity and experimentation, allowing children to understand the world around them in a meaningful way. Play also supports emotional development, helping children express their feelings and build resilience. By integrating play into early education, we create a dynamic and engaging learning experience that lays the groundwork for lifelong learning and success.

Learning through play allows children to:

• Communicate with their peers and put vocabulary into context
• Make sense of their world through role play
• Develop social skills including negation, turn taking, back and forth interactions
• Develop pre-writing skills such as core development, shoulder, elbow and wrist pivots and fine motor skills, all needed before children have the strength in their hand to pick up and control a pencil
• Develop spatial awareness skills through construction and block play
• Develop critical thinking skills
• Prepare children for later learning by developing self-regulation and executive function through games, instructions and movement
• Practice, revisit and embed deeper learning through experimentation and repetition

Play is a developmentally appropriate way for children to learn and develop the foundational skills necessary for later learning. In the EYFS Statutory Framework, the DFE states that “play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals, and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play and learning that is guided by adults.” (DfE 2021)

Outlining play in the Statutory Framework makes it a legal requirement to ensure children are learning through play and are provided with high quality play experiences in enabling environments all the way through to the end of Reception.

There are many different types of play, which should be encouraged in early years provision:

Sensory play, exploratory play, pretend play, cooperative role play, fantasy and superhero play, physical play, rough and tumble play, risky play or digital play. When considering our environments, resources and planning, considerations should be made to ensure opportunities for each of these types of play.

Characteristics of Effective Learning:

Supporting children in the Characteristics of Effective Learning, a statutory element of the EYFS, is a central responsibility in Early Years provision. The Characteristics of Effective Learning focus on how children learn, rather than what they have learnt, valuing the process of learning as well as the outcome. During their earliest years, children form attitudes about learning that will last a lifetime. Children who receive the right sort of support and encouragement during these years will be creative, and adventurous learners throughout their lives. Early Years Practitioners, the environments we provide and the provision we plan for all need nurture the Characteristics of Effective Learning, reflecting on how we can support the different ways in which children learn.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning are:

For learning to be effective, it must be meaningful to a child, so that they are able to use what they have learned and apply it in new situations. These abilities and attitudes of strong learners will support them to learn well and make good progress in all the areas of learning and development. Play and self-initiated activities are ideal opportunities to build Characteristics of Effective Learning. In play, children can follow their own innate curiosity and drives to find things out, to relate to others, and to be in charge of their own actions. Adult-planned activities can offer scope for children to reinforce and develop their self-regulation and learning powers, when they are organised to include opportunities for children to explore, follow their interests and think for themselves – building on children’s engagement, motivation, and both creative and critical thinking.

To engage the children with the characteristics we use ‘Dino Powers’ these are characters that the children use and recognise to understand and celebrate their achievements. Children receive certificates and stickers when they have displayed the dino powers.