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: Lead a planned play opportunity in own setting
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to implement a play opportunity you planned in the previous section. This is a practical assessment, which will be observed by your tutor.
Some things that you might consider whilst leading a planned play opportunity are included below.
First of all, you will need to ensure that you have prepared for the activity. Ensure that the environment is comfortable and inviting and that you have everything you need to carry out the activity. This could mean moving tables to create a larger play area or laying out materials/equipment ready for the children to use.
In addition, you should ensure that other practitioners understand your plan and know what is required from them before, during and after the activity.
During the activity, make sure you use positive language and body language to engage with the group. Keep an eye out for children who appear unable or unwilling to participate, and support and encourage them to join in. You may need to be flexible so that you can adapt the activity to a particular child’s needs or preferences that you may have overlooked during the planning stage – don’t worry if this is the case, just make changes on the fly and treat it as a learning opportunity fr yourself.
Finally, it is important to review, evaluate and reflect on your planned activity afterwards – this will be discussed in more detail later in the unit.