My name is Rachel Keane and I have been teaching within Falkirk Council for 8 years. For the past five years I have taught between primary 1 and primary 2. Three years ago we embraced Play is The Way. I thought I would share some of the things I wish I’d known at the beginning of our play journey for anyone who is starting out with play pedagogy for the first time this year.

Environment

Unfortunately no matter how much time and effort I put in to my environment it just would not stay Pinterest worthy! Of course your space should be empowering, nurturing and encourage children to wonder, explore and create but setting tuff trays up every morning with different small world settings can become demoralising when after 30 seconds of the children entering the space, and in the adults eye, it has been completely destroyed! That field made up of dried oats might look like an inviting space for cows to live but to many children in your setting it’s a sensory activity where you dig your hands through it and sprinkle it all over the floor!

Try to keep your provocations open ended. Model to the children what small world spaces could look like and allow the children to explore materials and create these spaces themselves. Not only does this free up your time in morning to complete other tasks but it encourages children to take the lead in their learning, developing motor skills, problem solving and their imagination.

You may find that your classroom very quickly becomes noisy and chaotic, this is children at work. However it is important to set clear exceptions of the space to ensure safety and to allow children to develop responsibility and respect for their environment.

Utilise outdoor space and allow children to participate in play and activities that require space.

Before break time I encourage children to “organise” where they are playing. Lids on pens and glue sticks and a clear path to the door. This allows children to continue their play after break but it also helps to keep the space inviting for other children. Initially, plan your day with additional time to carry out these daily routines and you will soon find the pace picks up. During ‘Tidy Up Time’ tidy alongside the children, modelling where things should go and how the spaces should look.

Child-Led

We know that relationships are important and building good relationships with our young people is vital. Make sure you spend lots of time away from the security of the teaching table and get on the floor with the children, playing and interacting alongside them. Get to know them, their likes, interests and their personalities.

It can be difficult at first to let go of your planning and plan based on your children’s interests, skills and needs. Through interactions and observations you will understand what stage of development your children are at.

Play opportunities allow you to support those still developing early literacy and numeracy skills and also challenge and extend the skills of others. Plan for opportunities to develop fine and gross motor skills, set up provocations and areas to promote literacy, maths and numeracy, sing and read stories and rhymes to help develop phonological awareness and foundational literacy skills. Give children time to build on these foundations before launching into a phonics and reading program.

CPD and Networking

Visit other settings, speak with other teachers and nursery colleagues, attend CPD courses, scroll through twitter, or create a Pinterest or Instagram page for ideas. There are so many experienced and passionate people out there! Being able to visit other settings, borrow ideas and discuss key issues with other teachers continues to be the most beneficial for me.

It can take a while to shift your pedagogical thinking but remember to have fun, ask questions and take your time building up your environment including your children in the planning and development of the space.

And finally…invest in a pair of comfortable shoes!

 

Check out the FabulousFalkirk Initiatives tab above to find more information and links to further support and advice about Play is the Way.

 

#wonderisers