Play and pedagogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Play and pedagogy - Essay Example It is this ability to play such games that such children are able to become great men and women in future. Some of the games for instance prepare great mathematicians in future. They assist such children to develop mentally in terms of the ability to perform some simple arithmetic. Apart from the metal development, games have also played a major role for the social, physical and emotional development in children. In the former category for instance, the children are able to interact with each other developing communication skills. Children who at first may appear shy are able to show confidence after they have interacted in most of these games. In addition to that, games have been imperative in ensuring that children display their different talents and gifts. It is difficult to know the talents that children have unless they are engaged in this kind of activities. To understand the role of play in children, I visited a certain kindergarten and made observation of how the children wer e responding. The following is a record of the observation that I made. The class setting Recently I visited a certain kindergarten with a view of establishing the role of play and pedagogy in children’s development. The kindergarten had one main teacher and three assistants. They had to work together for the purpose of ensuring that each child received maximum attention. The classroom setting provided an environment that fostered mental development of the children. The walls were full of the pictures that the children had drawn in including the alphabets. Each of the letters also had words and pictures drawn against them. This was for the purpose of enabling the children learn easily. For instance, a letter ‘G’ would have a picture of a guitar or a girl. This form of learning enabled the children understand better. The setting of the classroom was also in a way that it could make it easy for children to play. For instance, there was a huge empty area, which was left for the purpose of play. In the cupboard that was used to store all the toys and other materials used by the children for playing. In addition to that, there was tables and chairs that were arranged in a carefully manner to ensure that children were safe. This is in accordance with rules and regulations that demand that safety has to be ensured for such children. It is imperative that they are protected against any physical harm, by creating a harmless environment. The children The class composed of children from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. The teachers made sure that the needs of each child were met. In addition to that, there were children with physical challenges who also benefited from the class setting that facilitated their learning and movement. The class therefore made it possible for inclusion to take place. The age of the children ranged between 3-5 years. They interacted well and each of them seemed to enjoy what was going on. The morning ses sion activities According to the teacher, all mornings began by ensuring that children sung. However, the types of songs and stories told depended on the themes that the teacher wanted to pass to the children. In this particular class, I was keenly following the response of two main children; in a view to find out how play enabled them develop mentally and emotionally. The two children were Natalie and John. They were both three years old and very jovial. When the teacher entered the classroom, it was mandatory for all the