Following the natural inclination of children to play has been a key point for education in the current age. The “Play-based Learning” approach has changed the way teaching happens. Last Wednesday, during a recent workshop led by OCAC Early Year teachers Mr. Filip, Ms. Guo Qian, and Ms. Luz, parents were invited to experience the wonders and power of learning through play. They discovered from first-hand information, and hands-on experience the promising, meaningful, and holistic development that takes part when children are encouraged to play.
But, what is Play-based learning? Children’s curious minds are the foundation of this approach to education. Children seek to make sense of the world around them; they continuously face physical, intellectual, emotional, and social challenges. This methodology seeks to integrate and provide answers to all these areas in the most natural way to them, which is through play. By providing a rich environment, functional tools, creative spaces, and professional guidance children learn to think independently, solve problems, and make connections between different concepts.
To achieve the best results in the workshop, the hosts asked the parents to turn into children. They were given tools, space, support, and encouragement to work in different centers: literacy, mathematics, inquiry, construction, art, and drama. The areas were set for the parents to experience agency: they instinctively moved around the centers, experimented with various materials, and finally played with each other.
‘Play should happen anywhere at any time’, this was the message that transcended throughout the workshop. Parents were encouraged to allow their children to feel free, to play-learn in their own way, at their own pace. As this enables them to make connections to their surroundings, by promoting self-awareness and building relationships that help them regulate their emotions. By the end of the workshop, the parents reflected and challenged their thoughts on ‘play’, welcoming a new perspective of using it as a tool for the children to become lifelong learners.
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