These provide prompts to help practitioners reflect on the learning through play, identify successes and challenges and to note changes they would like to make.

Examples and Ideas for Practice

These materials share examples of how different early childhood settings developed their practice in relation to play.

Podcasts and Photo Presentations

Learning environment for babies

Learning environment for toddlers

Creating challenging outdoor environments for 3-6 year olds

Creating outdoor environments for babies and toddlers

Playful routines and engaging interactions (Birth-3 years)

Planning a play-based, emergent curriculum: Gingerbread Man (2-3 years)

Planning a play-based, emergent curriculum: Bugs and Old MacDonald (1-2 years)

The Links Between Play Learning and Development

Making the most of play and learning (3-6 years)

Types of play including physical play (3-6 years)

Creative and language play (3-6 years)

Pretend play and games with rules (3-6 years)

Supporting children’s holistic development through play (3-5 years)

Pedagogical interactions to support oral language and early literacy development in play (3-6 years)

Supporting early mathematical abilities in play (3-6 years)

Using books in pre-school settings to think and talk about measure (3-6 years)

Using play in pre-school settings to think and talk about measure (3-6 years)

Supporting language development in the pre-school year (3-6 years)

Enriching play with the language of mathematics

Supporting emergent literacy and numeracy

Supporting progression in play

Making adequate time for play

Supporting emergent literacy and numeracy: Making shapes and symbols (3-6 years)

Supporting emergent literacy: The writing table (3-6 years)

Reviewing and adpting the daily routine

Learning high quality mathematics through high quality play

Play and an emergent and inquiry-based curriculum (Birth-6 years)

How can parents and practitioners support children’s self-regulation (Birth-6 years)

How can practitioners support children’s learning through play (3-6 years)

Why is play important for young children (3-6 years)

Why is play important for babies and toddlers (Birth-3 years)

How can play support self-regulation (3-6 years)

Video clips: Birth-3 years

Story-time Toddlers

Ice-cream car

The treasure basket

Pretend play Toddlers' spatial awareness (Birth-3 years)

Pretend play: Toddlers dressing the dollies (Birth-3 years)

Pretend play: Toddlers' tea time (Birth-3 years)

Old Macdonald

Nursery rhymes

Video clips: 3-6 years

Choosing to write during free-play

Counting cheese

Dressing the baby

Exploding interest in numbers

Learning about sinking and floating

Literacy and numeracy in the café

Making pancakes

Making shapes in the sand

Me and my body

Mr Potato Head

My favourite things

Nurturing dispositions

Solving a problem (3-6 years)

Story-time pre-schoolers

Walking on stilts

Walking the plank (3-6 years)

Washing the bike

Peer mentoring (3-6 years)

Playing with octons

Learning Experiences

Resources for Sharing

These materials include tip sheets for practitioners and parents on different aspects of learning through play.

Tip Sheets

Action Planning Tools

A template is provided to help practitioners plan for changes in a particular area of their work in learning through play.

Gallery

Photos from a range of early childhood settings offer additional ideas about learning through play.

Adults interpret what they see during play and discuss it with children

Size: 179.6 KB

Adults take part to help children connect to and develop their play

Size: 1.5 MB

Adults play with new children in particular, to help them connect with others

Size: 1.1 MB

Play provision reflects children’s complex interests, such as space, anthropology or geology

Size: 770.5 KB

The daily routine has sufficient time for children to get deeply involved in play

Size: 542.3 KB

Play reflects children’s stage of development as well as providing for their current interests

Size: 1.5 MB

Play provides opportunities for children to assess, take risks and enjoy challenge

Size: 1.4 MB

Children persevere building large structure

Play opportunities support developing dispositions such as curiosity, perseverance and resilience

Size: 67.1 KB

Children learn to resolve problems and conflicts in their own way, with support when they need help

Size: 387.5 KB

Sound games with instruments and other items encourage listening skills

Size: 745.4 KB

Play opportunities support the development of skills such as cutting or mark-making

Size: 43.9 KB

Adults join childrens' play, follow their lead and help them identify their own learning

Size: 896.8 KB

The process of play is the focus rather than the end product

Size: 503.4 KB

Story-telling, creating stories, language games, and reading support children’s early literacy

Size: 37.9 KB

Early numeracy is supported as children match, sort, and use mathematical language

Size: 51.8 KB

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NCCA, 35 Fitzwillam Square, Dublin 2, Telephone: +353 1 661 7177, Fax: +353 1 661 7180, Email: practiceguide@ncca.ie