Joyce A. Hemphill, Ph.D.
Make + Play = Learn
Raising Student Achievement
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Room: Broadway B; 10:45-11:45
Pheasant Run
St. Charles, Illinois
TYPES OF PLAY
· Onlooker
· Solitary
· Parallel
· Associative
· Cooperative/Collaborative
· Social
· Symbolic/Dramatic
· Socio-Dramatic
· Imaginary/Make Believe/Fantasy
· Imitative
· Functional/Practice
· Sensorimotor
· Games
· Motor/Physical
BENEFITS OF PLAY
Language Development
Attention Development
· Communication skills
· Vocabulary
· Body language
· Storytelling
· Emergent literacy
· Concentration
· Persistence
· Attention regulation
o Sustained attention
o Selective attention
o Cognitive inhibition
Emotional Development
· Attachment
· Self-confidence
· Self-esteem
· Emotion knowledge
· Autonomy
· Risk-taking
· Mood elevation
· Anxiety reduction
o Coping with change
· Therapeutic effects
Cognitive Development
· Creativity
· Curiosity
o Exploration
o Discovery
· Abstract thinking
· Imagination
· Problem-solving
o Strategy development
o Strategy testing
o Decision making
· Spatial relationships
· Social cognition
o Perspective-taking
· Mastering new concepts
· Goal Setting
· Planning
· Memorization
· Categorization
o Compare and Contrast
· Understanding of rules and objectives
· Intelligence
· Understanding the self
o Strengths and weaknesses
Social Development
· Cooperation
· Sharing
· Turn-taking
· Empathy
· Conflict resolution
· Understanding boundaries
· Leadership skill development
· Control of impulses and aggressive behavior
· Exploration of social roles
o Gender
o Adult
o Parent
o Student
· Learning of cultural rules
· Exploration of the “World of Work”
Gross Motor Development
· Locomotor and gross motor skills
· Eye-foot coordination
· Movement control
· Increased flexibility and balancing
· Muscle strength
· Balance
· Cardio-vascular fitness
· Cardio-respiratory endurance
· Fat reduction
· Body temperature regulation
· Neurological development
Fine Motor Development
· Hand-eye coordination
· Manipulation and fine motor skills
Academic Skills
· Provides a meaningful context for children to learn concepts and skills
· Provides a meaningful context for children to apply concepts and skills
· Encourages children to explore and discover
· Allows children to expand on what they are learning
· Encourages children to experiment and take risks
· Provides opportunities for collaborative learning with adults and peers
· Word/Number/Shape recognition
What is in my stash?
Recyclables:
· Bottle caps
· Boxes
o Cereal, cracker, granola/breakfast bar
o Lasagna noodle
o Shoe
o Tissue
o Toothpaste
· Buttons
· Calendars
· CDs
· Fabric sample books
· Greeting cards & postcards
· Individual serving plastic cups
· Newspaper
· Oatmeal tubs
· Paper bags
· Paper tubes, various lengths
· Plastic bottles with lids, various sizes
· Plastic buckets
· Plastic coat hangers from retail stores
· Plastic containers with lids, various sizes
· Plastic jugs
· Plastic shopping bags
· Socks
· Soft plastic caps from jugs
· Spools
· “Stuff”
· Foam egg cartons ONLY*
· Foam trays*
· Tins with lids
o Altoid tins
o Cookie tins
· T-shirts
· Upholstery foam
· Upholstery sample books
Low-Cost Materials
· Aluminum foil
· Balloons
· Bamboo skewers (round)
· Chenilles or Pipe Cleaners
· Chopsticks
· Craft sticks
· Giggle eyes
· Glue
· Magazines
· Needle-nose pliers
· Paint stirs/paddles
· Paper clips
· Rocks
· Rubber bands
· Scissors
· Straws
· String
· Tape
· Wooden beads
· Yarn
* Be sure to properly clean the recyclables using warm water and antibacterial soap. In addition to washing, wipe foam trays and egg cartons with a commercial bleach cleansing cloth or with a bleach solution of one tablespoon of bleach per quart of water.
NOTE ON SAFETY
Most of the materials listed are household recyclables. Be sure to properly clean the recyclables using warm water and antibacterial soap. In addition to washing, wipe foam egg cartons with a commercial bleach cleansing cloth or with a bleach solution of one tablespoon of bleach per quart of water.
Check all recyclable materials for sharp edges. Those pieces with sharp edges go directly into the recycle bin. Relatedly, some activities require punching holes with a bamboo skewer or sharpened pencil. This should be done with extreme caution. Never set an object in your lap or hold with the other hand when puncturing. Injury can result. Instead, always use a flat surface and place a layer of protection, such as a folded cloth or thick, flat eraser between the surface and the object being punctured. Please be aware that extra supervision and/or assistance may be required for this task.
Many of the games and activities contain small pieces, which are a choking hazard to young children, especially those under the age of 3 years old. Please keep these pieces, along with all small objects out of reach. A toilet paper tube can serve as a choke tube tester. If the item can easily fit into the tube, it is unsafe to give a young child. Also note that an inflated balloon is not a safe item for a young child; even though it cannot fit into a choke tube tester, a popped or deflated balloon can.
Lastly, when selecting recyclable materials, be mindful that some may cause an allergic reaction. Plastic containers that held peanut butter or nut butter should not be used. Caution should also be used with latex materials, such as balloons.
These and other playing from scratch games are featured in The Power of Playful Learning: the Green Edition (2014) by J. A. Hemphill, L. Scheinholtz, and H. Von Bank. Maupin House Press.
Sources:
Brown, S. (2010) Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. Avery: New York, NY
http://www.btha.co.uk/consumers/template.php?id=169
Frost, J., Wortham, S., & Reifel, S. (2008) Play and Child Development Ed. 3. Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ
Hughes, F. (2010) Children, Play, and Development Ed.4. Sage: Thousand Oaks CA.
Johnson, J.E., Christine F., and Wardle, F. (2005) Play, Development, and Early Education. Pearson: Boston, MA
http://udel.edu/~roberta/play/benefits.html