The Role of Play in Early Childhood and Education
Noel, Ameena; Logan, Paula; Delapaz, Jurgita (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024100326045
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024100326045
Tiivistelmä
Play is a key factor in early education and care. Play promotes the child’s development, learning and well-being. Recognizing the importance of play is essential for designing enriching, nurturing learning environments that promote holistic development, participation, and involvement.
This thesis has been conducted as a development-based thesis and it aims to promote play as a method of learning in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The content of the thesis is not public. It emphasizes the importance of play in children's development, learning, and well-being. The main goal was to create a digital guidebook that highlights the role of play, offers practical ideas for designing learning environments, and includes visual examples and resources. The target audience consists of early childhood educators, ECEC students and caregivers.
The thesis resulted in a portfolio-style collection of ideas and theories highlighting the benefits of play. The research was then used to develop play-based learning environments suited to different group sizes, interests, and abilities. The involvement of preschool-aged children in the planning process was a key element. The research concluded that play is important for developing creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills. These findings can be applied in early education settings to design nurturing environments that support holistic child development and active participation.
This thesis has been conducted as a development-based thesis and it aims to promote play as a method of learning in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The content of the thesis is not public. It emphasizes the importance of play in children's development, learning, and well-being. The main goal was to create a digital guidebook that highlights the role of play, offers practical ideas for designing learning environments, and includes visual examples and resources. The target audience consists of early childhood educators, ECEC students and caregivers.
The thesis resulted in a portfolio-style collection of ideas and theories highlighting the benefits of play. The research was then used to develop play-based learning environments suited to different group sizes, interests, and abilities. The involvement of preschool-aged children in the planning process was a key element. The research concluded that play is important for developing creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills. These findings can be applied in early education settings to design nurturing environments that support holistic child development and active participation.