The importance of play
Play has been defined by (Pyle & Danniels, 2017) as “freely chosen, actively engaging, opportunistic, pleasurable, creative, and concerned more with means than ends”. Play is further categorised into “free play” which is a child led, flexible form of play and “adult-guided play” which is midway between free play and adult centred instruction. With pressure mounting for the achievement of academic milestones in early childhood resulting in teacher-based approaches to learning and play becoming less of a priority.(van Oers & Duijkers, 2013) Play and learning are often seen as mutually exclusive and considered impossible to simultaneously take place, with teacher led instruction viewed as a higher priority. Recent research has however proven this untrue, with more evidence motivating the utilisation of “play” to foster and encourage learning. “Play-based learning has been described as a teaching approach involving playful, child-directed elements along with some degree of adult guidance and scaffolded learning objectives” (Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, et al., 2013). Play based learning has shown to improve mathematical ability, social skills, literacy, language skills.(Pyle & Danniels, 2017) promoting holistic development in children and the aims of the Life skills curriculum.
Play based, learner centred learning, is especially effective for young children, as it coincides with their natural inclination to play. The benefits of play-based learning are far reaching and includes, but not limited to, the following:
- Encourages engagement
- Improves cognitive development
- Social and emotional growth
- Boosts creativity and imagination
- Improved communication ability
- Promotes a connection between learner and teacher
- Joy inducing
- Builds child confidence (Wessels, 2023)
- Enhances problem solving ability
- Improvement of social skills
- Outdoor play enhances children’s physical well being (Section 4 School Readiness Through Play Importance of Play, n.d.)
Free play is especially valuable in the Foundation Phase Life skills curriculum, as well as other learning areas. It can take place both inside as well as outside. Providing learners with the freedom to engage in unstructured activities such as fantasy play. Music, block play, free art water play, sand play, ball play and gardening.(Foundation Phase Grades R-3 Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement National Curriculum Statement (NCS), 2011) The playing area which the learner is exposed to is vital in fostering free play and should have sufficient space, whether indoor or outdoor, and various resources should be made available to encourage free play activities (blocks, sand pit, gardening tools, water, paper, paint, dress up clothes). While free play is valuable, rules for games or activities are an important part of developing children in order for them to understand that while they can enjoy the freedom to play, this does not necessarily translate to doing as they please. The importance and purpose of the rules should be communicated to the children, resulting in a better functioning child because of the boundaries and structure provided by these rules. (Coetzee, 2023).
Developing learners perceptual skills is an important part of the Life skills curriculum aims. Perceptions is defined as “using the senses to acquire information about the surroundings, environment or situation.”(Foundation Phase Grades R-3 Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement National Curriculum Statement (NCS), 2011). The development of theses perceptual skills should be incorporated into all four learning areas in the Foundation Phase including mathematics and language. Teachers should pay special attention to the development of the following perceptual skills development:
- Visual perception
- Visual discrimination
- Visual memory
- Auditory perception
- Auditory discrimination
- Hand-eye co-ordination
- Body image
- Dominance
- Crossing the mid-line
- Figure-ground perception
- Form perception