Play-Based Learning
Classroom activities revolve around the understanding that pretending, creating, and assisting allows children to make new discoveries. As they play, children learn more about themselves while stimulating their physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.
During my time at the Pre-K Center, children have explored the following themes:
Trees, Clothing, Buildings, Bread, Balls and Getting Ready for Kindergarten
Activities at the various centers support the aforementioned themes.
Trees
Writing names from sticks:
Differentiation:
● Names were prewritten
● Students identified items that started with each letter of their name
Standards:
Domain 2: Physical
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Demonstrates eye-hand coordination and dexterity needed to manipulate objects
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Manipulates small objects with ease (fits objects into holes, strings wooden beads, stacks mini blocks, uses geoboards, etc.).
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Domain 4: Cognition, Language, and Literacy
Part B: English Language Arts and Literacy
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Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print
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Recognize and name some upper/lowercase letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.
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Recognize that letters are grouped to form words
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Differentiate letters from numerals
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Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
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Print some upper- and lower-case letters (e.g., letters in their name).
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Capitalize the first letter in their name
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Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World - Science Living Things
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Describes and identifies the different structures of familiar plants and animals. (Plants have stems, roots, leaves, animals have eyes, mouths, ears, etc.)
Nature Creations
After our nature walk, students used their findings to construct different items.
Some students showed emotions on tree trunks while others chose to create structures.
Differentiation:
● Students hand wrote the feelings
● Students traced the feelings
● Teacher wrote the feelings
Standards:
Domain 1: Approaches to Learning: Engagement
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Actively and confidently engages in play as a means of exploration and learning
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Interacts with a variety of materials through play
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Engages in pretend and imaginative play - testing theories, acting out imagination
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Uses “trial and error” method to figure out a task, problem, etc.
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Approaches tasks, activities, and problems with creativity, imagination and/or willingness to try new experiences or activities
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Chooses materials/props and uses novel ways to represent ideas, characters, and object
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Domain 3: Social and Emotional Development: Self-Regulation
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Appropriately names types of emotions (e.g., frustrated, happy, excited, sad) and associates them with different facial expressions, words and behaviors
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World: The Arts
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Expresses oneself and represents what he/she knows, thinks, believes, and feels through visual arts
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Uses materials to build and create “pieces” that represent another item (blocks become a castle; clay becomes a snake)
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Clothing
Button count and sort:
Children count and sort buttons into different colored containers depending on their color.
Differentiation:
● Different sized buttons
● Varying number of total buttons used
● 1-5 colors were used
My fully remote students learned that when sorting items, it is helpful to arrange them in an organized way.
Some ways we might sort items are by color, shape or size. In small groups we completed the following slides. Then, students completed their own sorts as their asynchronous activity.
Standards:
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World
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Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities to 10; connect to cardinality
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When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object
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Understand that the last number name said, tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same
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Regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.
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Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger.
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Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 10 things arranged in a line,a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 5 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-10, count out that many objects
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Measurement and Data: Sort objects and count the number of objects in each category
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Sort objects into categories; count the numbers of objects in each category (limit category counts to be less than or equal to 10.)
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Clothing
To help with letter identification in children’s names, students build towers from Duplo blocks that have the letters of their name on them.
Differentiation:
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Children are provided with laminated mats that show the correct spelling of their names
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Capital and lowercase letters are available
Standards:
Domain 4: Communication, Language, and Literacy
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Demonstrates understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
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Follows words from left to right, top to button, and page by page.
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Recognizes and names some upper/lowercase letters of the alphabet, especially those in own name
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Recognize that letters are grouped to form words
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Balls
Standards:
Domain 2: Physical Development and Health
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Combines a sequence of large motor skills with and without the use of equipment
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Throws, catches, or kicks a large, light-weighted ball (8”-10”).
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Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World
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Measurement and Data: Sort objects and counts the number of objects in each category
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Sort objects into categories; count the numbers of objects in each category (limit category counts to be less than or equal to 10.)
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Ball sort: Children throw balls into different colored baskets depending on the color of the ball.
Gym
Since unstructured play provides students with the freedom to explore, create and discover without having to follow specific rules, I incorporate it into our daily schedule. I have found that this type of play promotes children’s creativity and imagination while supporting social skill development and teamwork. At times during our gym period, I set out equipment and encourage unstructured play
Standards:
Domain 1: Approaches to Learning: Engagement
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Actively and confidently engages in play as a means of exploration and learning
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Interacts with a variety of materials through play.
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Self-selects play activity and demonstrates spontaneity.
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Domain 2: Physical Development and Health: Physical Development
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Demonstrates coordination and control of large muscles
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Displays an upright posture when standing or seated
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Maintains balance during sitting, standing, and movement activities
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Runs, jumps, walks in a straight line and hops on one foot.
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Combines a sequence of large motor skills with and without the use of equipment.
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Navigates age-appropriate playground equipment.
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Participates in a series of large motor movements or activities such as dancing, follow the leader, or Simon Says.
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Engages in a variety of physical fitness activities.
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Engages in large motor activities (e.g., marching, hopping, running, jumping, dancing) in increasingly longer periods of time as skill and endurance develops.
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Explores, practices, and performs skill sets: throwing, pushing, pulling, catching, balancing, etc.
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Participates in activities designed to strengthen major muscle groups.
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Participates in activities to promote balance and flexibility.
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Center Time
Since centers allow children to learn through hands-on play experiences, gain social skills as they navigate interactions with their classmates and explore concepts in a safe environment, students spend much of their day in a variety of centers. Students learn about themselves, enjoy meaningful exposure to academic concepts, gain self-regulation skills and discover their interests. The following photos are a sampling of the activities available during center time.
Standards vary according to the center and include:
Domain 1: Approaches to Learning
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Actively and confidently engages in play as a means of exploration and learning.
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Interacts with a variety of materials through play.
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Participates in multiple play activities with the same material.
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Engages in pretend and imaginative play - testing theories, acting out imagination.
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Self-selects play activity and demonstrates spontaneity.
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Uses “trial and error” method to figure out a task, problem, etc.
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Demonstrates awareness of connections between prior and new knowledge.
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Approaches tasks, activities, and problems with creativity, imagination and/or willingness to try new experiences or activities.
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Exhibits curiosity, interest, and willingness in learning new things and having new experiences.
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Demonstrates persistence.
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Domain 3: Social and Emotional Development: Accountability
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Understands and follows routines and rules.
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Re-enacting the "Three Little Pigs" with puppets
Center Time Fun
Our Center Time Choice Chart
Building a car ramp
at the block center
Building a hut during
our building unit
Dramatic Play Center
Dramatic Play Center
We transform our Dramatic Play Center to fit with each unit.
During our clothing unit, students made a laundromat.
In order for my remote students to experience center time, I provided ideas for at-home centers as well.
