Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 3.2: Plan, lead and review play opportunities which support children’s learning and development in relation to current frameworks
Learning outcome: Be able to lead and support playopportunities
Assessment criteria: Demonstrate how play opportunities provide a balance between child-initiated and adult-led play
Play opportunities provide children with the necessary balance between child-initiated and adult-led play.
Child-initiated play allows for autonomy, creativity and exploration as children direct their own learning agenda. This type of play is essential for providing freedom to explore ideas and make choices independently.
On the other hand, adult-led play offers a more structured approach and provides children with adult guidance and support. This type of play aids in fostering skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, social interactions, and other important developmental milestones.
When these two approaches to play are combined, they create an environment conducive to learning and growth. Child-initiated play can help to increase children’s confidence in their own abilities, and adult-led play provides them with the opportunity to learn from adults. As a result, providing child-initiated and adult-led play opportunities ensures that children are given the chance to explore their world while also developing skills such as communication, organization, and critical thinking.
Both types of play opportunities are closely intertwined. When practitioners observe child-initiated play, they can assess a child’s learning and development and understand their interests, which can then be used when planning an adult-led activity.
For example, a child may be perfectly happy making sandcastles with dry sand that easily collapses, but a practitioner observing this could show the child how wet sand makes a more solid structure. This is something that the child may never have considered without adult intervention.
Similarly, adult-initiated activities can often turn into child-led activities as the children explore new ideas for themselves. For example, an activity that starts as painting on a canvas could turn into a nail painting activity when a child starts painting their fingers. It is important for practitioners to be flexible and encourage children’s exploration and creativity.
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to demonstrate that you have planned and implemented a balance of both adult-led and child-initiated play opportunities.