FOCUSES ON THE NATURE AND VALUE OF PLAY IN THE  FOUNDATION PHASE AS WELL AS HOW YOU  CAN INCORPORATE ELEMNTS OF PLAY DURING MISIC  ACTIVITIES  THROUGHOUT THE DAY IN  A  FOUNDATION PHASE CLASSROOM.

PLAY IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE MUSIC CLASSROOM.

PLAY IS PROMINENT IN VARIOUS AFRICAN CULTURE AND GENERA AFRICAN CONTEXT, WHERE WE OFTEN FIND ELEMENT OF PLAY WHEN PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH MUSIC AND DANCE ACTIVITIES

THREE TYPES OF  PLAY IN CHILDREN'S CULTURE.

1. TRADITIONAL: IN TRADITINAL PLAY RULES ARE  IMPORTANT . THIS FORM PLAY IS FIXED. MANY CHILDREN 'S GAME ARE  TRADITIONAL AS THEY HAVE RULES  WHICH NEED TO BE FOLLOWED AND  ARE SELDOM BROKEN.
2. OPEN: OPNE PLAY IS A FORM OF IMPROVISATION. ALTHOUGH OPEN PLAY INCLUDES RULED, THESE RULES  MAY BE  CHANGED ACCORDING  TO THE NEEDS OF  CHILDREN WHILE PLAYING. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE SETTING IS IMPORTANT. " LETS PRETEND TO BE /DO."
3. ORIGINAL: IS CREATIVE AND BASED ON CURIOSITY. ORIGINAL PLAY IS  MOSTLY AN INDIVIDUAL GAME WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL AMUSES THEMSELVES  WITH OOBJECTS , ACTIONS AND SOUND 

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF PLAY

PLAY INVOLVES SONG, STRUCTURED MOVEMENT/DANCE , STORYTELLING, MUSICAL INTRUMENTS AND INVOLVES THEORETICAL ELEMENTS SUCH AS  CHARACTERISATION TENSION AND SURPRISE. PLAY IS A FUNDAMENTAL WAY OF  LEARNING, ENGAGING BOTH INTELLECT AND EMOTIONS. PLAY IS A WAY OF BEING AND REQUIRED A CERTAIN STATE OF MIND  OF WILLINGNESS AND OPEN-MINDEDNESS. ONE OF THE EDUCATIONAL AIMS  OF PLAY IS TO TEACH CHILDREN CERTAIN BEHAVIOUR, MORALS, AND VALUES  WHICH ARE CONSIDERED HEALTHY AND USEFUL IN AND TO THE SOCIETY.

ELEMENTS OF PLAY

1. PLAY INVOLVES A STATE OF MIND AND DISPOSITION

FOR YOU TO PLAY YOU MUST IMAGINE, BE PLAYFUL, WONDER, EXPIRIMENT AND EXPLORE YOUR PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL SURROUNDINGS. CLASSROOM  WITH STRICT RULES CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO  A PLACE WHERE LEARNERS  ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE IMAGINATIVE. THE FUN OF PLAY  IS  AN INPORTANT  CONTRIBUTOR TO SELF- GROWTH, IMAGINATION, AND CREATIVITY.

2. PLAY CONTAIN ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE AND CHALLANGE

TO SUPRICE SOMEONE OR TO BE SURPRICED CONTRIBUTES TO A SENSE  OF PLAYFULNESS.IN MANY GAMES THE ELEMENT  OF BEING CHALLANGED OR TO CHALLENGE SOMEONE IS IMPORTANT. IS EVIDENT IN GAME WHERE YOU  COMPETE AND ARE ELIMINATED WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY SKILLS. YOU TEST AND CHALLENGE OTHERS BUT ALSO YOURSELF.

3. PLAY INVOLVES A PROCESS, ATTITUDE AND STRUCTURE.

THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES AND REGULATIONS WHICH NEED TO BE FOLLOWED TO PLAY. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES  ( WHO MAY PLAY , WHEN AND WHERE THEY MAY PLAY, HOW  TO TAKE TURNS AND STRUCTURE MODALITIES)

4. PLAY IN VOLONTARY AND UNIFYING FORMING PART OF THE SOCIALISING PROCESS.

NO ONE IS  FORCED TO PLAY ALONG OUT OF FREE WILL YOOU ACCEPT  THE RULES AND  PLAY ALONG.

GENRES OF PLAY AND GAMES

• CLAPPING WITH BODY  ACTIONS  GAMES

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS ARE THE WAY IN WHICH PLAYERS  CHALLENGES AND SURPRICES EACH OTHER, TEST AND SHOW PHYSICAL STRENGTH WHILE PERFORMIMG  MUSICALLY.

• CLAPPING AND SINGING GAME

THIS GAME CAN EITHER PLAYED STANDING OR SITTING. THE IMPOTANT ELEMENT HERE IS CHALLENGE .DIFFERENT PLAYERS MUST  COMBINE AND ADJUST THEIR CLAPPING, TRYING TO MATCH THEIR CLAPPING PATTERNS IN INCREASING TEMPOS.

• STONE PASSING GAME

SITTING IN A CIRCLE , A STONE IS PASSED ON THE BEAT WHILE EVERYONE SINGS A SONG'

• DANCING PLAY

THE ELEMENT  (TEASING, HUMOUR, UNEXPECTED CONTACTS,TAKING TURNS) ARE IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE'S CONCEPTION AND CATEGORISING OF THE PERFORMANCE

• MUSIC - DRAMA PLAY 

A STORY IS BEING PASSED OR A MEANINGFUL ACTIVITY FROM THE CULTURE  IS COPIED THROUGH GESTURE IN THE PLAY. THE LYRICS OF THE SONG HAS A MESSAGE THAT RELATES TO BEHAVIOR AND RELATIONSHIP- TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO BEHAVE.

EXAMPLES OF GAMES

THERE ARE VARIOUS GAMES WHICH CAN BE PLAYED IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE CLASSROOM. THE GAMES ARE NAMELY; 

• SINGING GAMES
• CIRCLE GAMES 
• ACTION/CLAPPING GAMES
• RHYTHM GAME