Providing for Free Play
Free play can be very fun for the little ones but it can be very hectic too. Play and imagination are important parts of any preschool curriculum. These activities are actually building cognitive, emotional, physical, and social skills that children will rely on throughout their education. It’s important that preschoolers use their imagination in many different ways! That’s how they learn, how they process information, and how their personalities develop.
Don’t worry about having a curriculum plan for every second of the day. Set out a couple of things structured toward free play and let the kids choose when to play them. Let the fun begin and watch their imaginations grow. Set limits on the number of children participating in each activity as that will make it easier to share and get along with each other.
Some providers use toy sets with one theme in each set. A food theme for instance could have play foods, aprons and hats, play dishes, a cash register, old credit cards and play money. Watch them turn into little customers, waiters, and cooks. Talk about imagination and fun!
An artistic theme works well too. Use drawing, painting, or tracing supplies and throw in some painters hats and over-size T-shirts to use as smocks.
What about things with motion? Cars, trucks, planes, trains and boats will have them acting out all sorts of scenarios. Throw in a roll of tape for making rivers or roads and some whistles and horns are great for sound effects.
Music is a big hit! Put on a lively CD and get out the instruments. They will cut loose with song and dance and who knows what else. You should put on a smile, put in your ear plugs, and let them have at it.
Not all themes work for all age groups. I’ve set up my day care area so I can segregate when necessary which lets the older children stay focused on playing, creating, or building.
Imaginations develop best when little ones aren’t in the way or taking away.
Keep the activities age appropriate. Make them easy, but not boring. Make them challenging, yet not so hard that they will loose interest.
Set up a reading area so they can read and look through books. They can also make their own books with simple words or phrases or maybe just pictures so they can read or tell their stories to the younger children. Invest in a child’s CD or tape player that’s simple to use and they can use it without your help. If you have a kindergarden child ask them to share their schoolbook orders with you as they are normally very inexpensive to buy.
My day care favorite is dress up time. I have a huge tub filled with hats, clothing, and costumes. Costumes can be picked up after Halloween at very reasonable prices.
It’s also fun to put some cookies, frostings, and sprinkles on a table. Make some hats for them to wear and watch them turn into bakers and artists at the same time. They will enjoy eating their creations too.
Outside time can be just as fun! Set out different things in different areas of your yard for water play, sand play, or even ice cubes to make castles and then watch them melt. Have a car wash for their toys, or give them scissors to cut your grass for you.
What ever you do, have fun with free play. You can join in with the children or sit back and enjoy the show. Free play is wonderful and should be utilized each day. Free play teaches children that you or their parents don’t have to entertain them every second of every day, and in the process they are learning. It makes your day easier at the same time. My kids beg for this time and it will make your days easier.
Patti Jo Lawrenz
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