The Power of Play
Over the half-term we have been further developing our play spaces at the Prep and the importance of play should never be underestimated.
In the well known child development theory by Piaget, ‘The stages of the intellectual development of the child’ (1962), Piaget emphasises the importance of giving opportunities for play as children grow up. Not just the youngest children, but all through Prep age. According to Piaget, the preoperational stage runs from 2 to 7 and it is during this time that children begin to use language and think symbolically. Children use symbols to represent words, images and ideas which is why children in this stage engage in pretend play. We are all familiar with children turning boxes into a den or a plane and this type of imaginative play evolves if children have more opportunities to play with a range of different stimuli. Next ‘play with rules’ emerges, where children begin to think logically and in an organised manner. Group play requires the following of rules and so children need to be able to self-regulate. Play is crucial for children becoming self and other-aware, disciplined and excellent communicators.
Some of the playgrounds at the Prep serve two crucial purposes: being playgrounds; and being car parks. The need for parents to drive to the school, drop off and collect their children is undeniable and thus the car parks are essential. Thus there is a need to be creative when enhancing these spaces. Last half-term, we ran a competition for pupils to design games to be put on the ground in the parking bays. This is possible through using thermoplastics and we chose the very reputable company Fun & Active. We had some beautiful entries, and thanks to The Friends (our parent group) who sponsored two of the designs, we were able to select four winning designs overall and have these installed during the break. The Key Stage 2 School Council also selected a range of predetermined designs from the Fun & Active brochure.
Our winners Taylor, Tommy and Samuel in Year 2, and Mikael and Elliot in Year 4 were delighted to see how their designs had been transformed. The children have been playing non-stop on their new games and running the daily mile.
Despite a bit of a blustery start to the weekend, I do hope you get the chance for some lighthearted playful moments.
Best Wishes,
Alice Goodfellow
