Play is important to children…(American Academy of Pediatrics)Benefits Repercussion

• Use their creativity• Develops imagination• Physical strength• Cognitive strength• Healthy brain development• Social skills• Confidence• Resiliency• Conflict resolution• Leadership• Group skills

• No outlet for energy• Reduced cognitive skills• Reduced social skills• Reduced group skills• No outlet for creativity• Having a limited

understanding of their world and environment

• Little joy

The importance of play…

It’s important to your stress level and your happiness quotient that you have at least one activity that you do regularly just for fun.

Hobbies and other fun activities provide a fun way to sharpen skills, express your creativity, or just blow off steam.

Also, when you get really engrossed in an activity you enjoy, you can experience a state of being know as flow, in which your brain is in a near-meditative state, which has benefits for your body and mind.

Dramatic Play

Dramatic Play

Dramatic Play

Dramatic Play

The daily life of a four year old childCreate an environment of activities for learning• Adults should join in simple board games and

card games. The focus is on the play and not the competition.

• Provide puzzles with five to twenty pieces. • Offer various kinds of simple scientific and

mathematics materials. • Appreciate the child’s spontaneous rhyming,

chanting, silly name-calling, jokes, and riddles.• Continue daily read-aloud times.• Participate in 30 to 60 minutes of vigorous

physical activities.

Cognitive benefits of play…

• creativity • abstract thinking • imagination • problem-solving • social cognition, empathy,

perspective-taking • mastering new concepts

Social Skill benefits from play…

• cooperation • sharing • turn-taking • conflict resolution • leadership skill development

(control of impulses and aggressive behavior)

Emotional (affective) benefits of play…

• self-confidence • self-esteem • anxiety reduction • therapeutic effects

Physical benefits of play…

• gross motor experiences • fine motor experiences • physical challenges • fitness

Language Development benefits of play…

• communication skills • vocabulary • story telling • emergent literacy

Attentional development benefits of play…

• attention regulation • concentration • persistence

Routines vs. Schedules

•The terms routines and schedules are often used

• interchangeably.•Schedules represent the big picture—

the main activities to be completed daily.

•Routines represent the steps done to complete the schedule.

Routines vs. Schedules

•Routines and schedules need to be taught directly.

•Routines and schedules may vary.•Based on level of children’s interest

Should be inherently flexible (to allow for firedrills, field trips, etc.)

Routines• Activities and procedures that occur

regularly• Often involve a series of responses• Preschool routines typically include• Arrival time• Bathroom time• Cleanup time• Departure• Nap time• Snack time• Story time

Daily Schedule

•Blocks of time for classroom activities•Sequence of classroom activities•Preschool schedules typically include•Group or circle time•Activity or center time•Snack time•Outdoor time•Story time

Routines and Schedules are important because:•They influence a child’s emotional,

cognitive, and social development.•They help children feel secure.•They help children understand

expectations.•They help reduce behavior problems.•They can result in higher rates of

child engagement.