There are a lot of separate documents to be accessed, and I don’t intend to work my way through them. This link goes to the page of the Standards Site which presents all the different documents as pdfs.
So my first lengthy quotation (because it’s central to the play project that most of this blog is really about) comes from the Practice Guidance (The Early Years Foundation Stage Practice Guidance 00012-2007 BKT-EN 07 © Crown copyright 2007 )
Play (Principles into Practice cards 3.3 and 4.1 )
1.16 Play underpins the delivery of all the EYFS. Children must have opportunities to play indoors and outdoors. All early years providers must have access to an outdoor play area which can benefit the children. If a setting does not have direct access to an outdoor play area then they must make arrangements for daily opportunities for outdoor play in an appropriate nearby location.
The EYFS CD-ROM also contains information suggesting innovative ways to engage children in outdoor play.
1.17 Play underpins all development and learning for young children. Most children play spontaneously, although some may need adult support, and it is through play that they develop intellectually, creatively, physically, socially and emotionally.
1.18 Providing well-planned experiences based on children’s spontaneous play, both indoors and outdoors, is an important way in which practitioners support young children to learn with enjoyment and challenge. In playing, children behave in different ways: sometimes their play will be responsive or boisterous, sometimes they may describe and discuss what they are doing, sometimes they will be quiet and reflective as they play.
1.19 The role of the practitioner is crucial in:
- observing and reflecting on children’s spontaneous play;
- building on this by planning and resourcing a challenging environment which:
- supports and extends specific areas of children’s learning;
- extends and develops children’s language and communication in their play.
1.20 Through play, in a secure but challenging environment with effective adult support, children can:
- explore, develop and represent learning experiences that help them to make sense of the world;
- practise and build up ideas, concepts and skills;
- learn how to understand the need for rules;
- take risks and make mistakes;
- think creatively and imaginatively;
- communicate with others as they investigate or solve problems.
nicktomjoe 