Hi everyone!

Life keeps on getting busier by the day. I’m going to be honest… it is very tough to work, study and play hockey at the same time. I really have to plan my week thoroughly to make sure that I get everything done and it drains me sometimes, but I keep on making it work.

During the study of Study unit 3 I have learned a lot about playing and the effect it has on children in school. It is clear that children learn through play. Play is very important for the development of a child,

There are different types of play used to teach children.

• Free play
• Guided play
• Directed play
• Social play
• Play with objects
• Sociodramtic play
• Vygotsky on play

I really enjoyed this study unit. I learned a lot about the different types of play and I found it very interesting. I will definitely incorporate most types of play in my future classroom.

When learners participate in these different types of play, they automatically learn new and different skills and concepts. Play is important for early childhood development. Learners develop their social skills and are able to build on their relationships when participating in different types of play. Skills that can be developed by playing are; emotional-, social-, language- and creativity skills.

Musical play is very important as it has a huge impact on the development of children. Musical play can be done by singing songs and dancing to songs, etcetera. It is a fun way of teaching and children will always enjoy it. It creates an environment in the classroom where children can build on their relationships and work on their social skills. Intellectual and language skills are also developed during music play.

I believe that it is important to try and incorporate all types of play in your classroom so that the learners are able to develop all the necessary skills.

Have a good week!