Page 9 - LESSION 11.pmd

Play and Early Learning

singing and exploring things in their own environment. Organising such activities
will help in promoting all round development in children.

Notes There are different ways and methods to decide the best arrangements of toys
and equipment. Since the main purpose of play is the physical, mental, emotional,
and social development children, placement of indoor and outdoor facilities should
be appropriate to meet this purpose. Therefore, proper planning is needed for this.
The points that one should keep in mind are:

(i) Ease of supervision and guidance
(ii) Attention to safety

(iii) Maximum provision of space for free movement

(iv) Cater to spheres of interest
(v) Satisfy the needs of the group

(vi) Satisfy the needs of the child

(vii) Activities which are special should be arranged in a readily available place

(viii) Similar activities may be kept at one place
(ix) Shelves and furniture which are used for playing should be of appropriate
size and height (Gupta, Sen-.2013).

How the environment is structured, creates an active learning climate to stimulate
cognitive skills, opportunity for healthy and strong play experiences. Play serves to
facilitate language development, reading and writing readiness, emotional maturity
and social skills. The learning environment should be pleasurable, motivating,
rewarding and free from frustrations and danger.

Opportunities for sharing promotes social growth while self-expression and
communication enhance emotional skills.

The physical setting of the play equipment can be organized mainly in two ways:
Inside the classrooms and outside the classrooms. This is known as indoor and
outdoor arrangements.
11.5.1: Indoor Arrangements: There are a number of indoor equipment that
could be kept in a playroom. All the materials should be arranged so that children
can reach them on their own, and according to their use by both individual and
groups of children. Enough space is also an essential factor of placing these.
Some of them are mentioned here.
(i) Dolls Corner/Dramatic Area: A corner where home related objects, a basket
of old bags, sandals, scarves and other familiar objects will allow children
to engage in role plays by themselves or in a group of five to six children.
They will play out different roles at one time. They will also be handling

24 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION