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Reflective Journal Assignment

Krisha Aguja

Sheridan College

EDUC 11582: Foundations of a Play-Based Curriculum

Jessica Vargas

May 14, 2021

What is play? Play has a different definition for every child and each child experiences

different stages of it. In 1991, Canada approved the “The United Nations Convention On The

Rights of The Child” treaty, which ensures the welfare, safety, and rights of all children and the

responsibilities as a parent. Play has many benefits such as supporting all areas of development,

but what are some of the barriers that get in the way of a child’s right to play. Therefore what are

our responsibilities to a child as early childhood educators? These are some of the fundamentals

of a play-based curriculum.

To understand why play is important to the holistic development of a child, we must

understand what holistic development is. Holistic development is a method of learning that

focuses on the seven domains of early childhood development which are language, cognitive,

gross/fine motor skills, self-help and adaptive, social/ emotional, and spiritual/moral. For

children, play is an opportunity for them to have fun while expanding on those seven domains.

The difference between holistic and traditional learning is that holistic learning targets the

process of learning. Meanwhile, traditional learning targets the result. Throughout the years,

there have been three different perspectives of play, such as classical, modern, and contemporary.

Understanding the development of a play-based curriculum is important because they are the

beliefs and theories that have shaped our knowledge and understanding today. During the 19th

century, it was believed children were simply “small adults” and therefore treated like one too.

Classical theorists like John Locke believed that “children were born as blank tablets and that

their life experiences determine who they are and what they become”. Theorists like Jean Piaget

believed that children learn by being in “hands-on environments” that promote exploration and

discovery. Lastly, contemporary theorists believe children construct new knowledge in an active
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process of play and take the opportunity to try new ideas. As children begin to age, they

experience 5 phases of play, alongside their seven domains. For example, their social domain

begins to develop when they play as a group to accomplish a common goal. These stages are

vital because over time children adapt to new knowledge and can express themselves, feel

welcomed, and actively engage in play. There is no clear definition of play because it is different

for every child but, play is beneficial to the holistic growth of children because it exercises the

seven domains of development.

Foundations are important because they are the support system and stepping stone to building

a strong structure. In this case, the structure is play and the four foundations are belonging,

engagement, expression, and well-being. Each foundation plays a specific role in play-based

education. Belonging is the feeling of being welcomed, connected to others, and being valued for

their contributions. Play contributes to the sense of belonging for the reason that activities in

early childhood programs are meant to make each child feel accepted with open arms between

other children, adults, and the world. An example of this is creating a personal cubby to make

them feel welcomed (Creating a sense of place: Considering routine, ritual, and belonging

(Better Kid Care), 2019). The next foundation is engagement. Engagement is actively

participating and engaging with all parts such as the body, mind, and senses. Play contributes to

engagement because a child should be in an environment where they are encouraged to play,

explore and be curious. An example of this is developing lesson plans that involve teamwork and

communication, where all children can work together, ask questions, and develop skills such as

problem-solving. The third foundation is expression. Expression, also known as communication,

uses body language, words, or materials as a form of embodiment. Play contributes to expression
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because when a child is placed in a program that encourages creativity and curiosity, they will

have all the materials and support to express themselves in many different forms. An example of

expression is creating activities where a child can articulate their feelings and thoughts onto

artwork like arts and crafts through different art mediums (Creative expression | Play and

development | KABOOM!, 2021). Lastly is well-being. Well-being means focusing on a child’s

physical health and mental health. Play supports the well-being of a child because they can

understand the concept of self-regulation and support their growing sense of self. Some examples

of play supporting a child’s well-being are making sure their world doesn’t revolve around

technology, limiting screen time, playing outdoors, and getting fresh air for at least an hour every

day. It is also important to keep in mind a pedagogical approach to ensure every child reaches

their full potential and creates a solid foundation for future successful learning. We educators can

promote pedagogical learning by building positive relationships with the child and their family,

target developing their seven domains, and valuing their strengths. Play supports the four vital

foundations of play which are belonging, well-being, engagement, and expression, they are the

configuration on how children learn and advance. No matter a child’s age, ability, culture,

language, geography, or setting these four foundations still apply (How Does Learning Happen?

Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years A resource about learning through relationships for those

who work with young children and their families, n.d.).

As educators, we play an important role for every child in our care because we are a part of

the microsystem in their life, meaning everything we teach is influential. We follow a code of

ethics and standards of practice to ensure we fulfill our responsibilities to children and their

families. In play-based learning, educators have 6 different roles. They are observers, prop
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managers, provocateurs, reflective educators, and co-learners. Educators are observers because

we observe a child’s progress, in addition to their creative process. Secondly, we are prop

managers because we provide materials to support a child’s active learning and imagination. For

example, some classrooms already have materials but when creating new activities that build off

of the children’s interests, we educators need to purchase materials that support their creativity

and keep them engaged. Educators are provocateurs due to the fact we challenge children by

asking open-ended questions because it develops their thinking and reasoning skills.

Additionally, we are reflective educators, we collect information and inquire what the children

did and why they did it to obtain a better understanding of how each child is developing. Lastly,

educators are co-learners in a way because we actively engage and learn with children. An

example of how educators are co-learners is when we were assessing a video of a teacher and

child observing a butterfly. Together they were learning about the butterfly and sharing their

thoughts. Based on my experiences, the educator’s role of being an observer and documenter is

my area of strength. I think this my area of strength because I have always liked observing and

collecting data. In elementary school, it’s one of the things you learn. It’s about being able to

understand the difference between important and unimportant information and to document it.

Another reason why being an observer is my area of strength because in grade 11 I took a

parenting course and I remember learning about development and researching how children learn

from toys, tv shows, and books. From then on I observed how my cousin actively engaged with

things in his environment and how it might have developed his skills. From my past experiences

and what I have learned, being an observer and documenter is my area of strength but a role that

is challenging for me is being a provocateur. Some strategies that I might use to improve would

be adding visuals to activities to spark ideas and questions, creating minor conflict with the child
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to understand their thought process, and asking questions that have more than one possible

answer. As I become more educated as to how I can support children in early childhood

education, I strive to enhance every child’s learning experience whether it may be providing

materials, observing their likes and dislikes, or broadening their need for curiosity and inquiry.

As we learn about a “play-based education” we educators must take our time creating and

getting to know what strategies best help a child reach their full potential. One way we can do

that is by supporting their intrinsic motivators of play. An intrinsic motivator is an inner drive a

person feels when they enjoy an activity, feel motivated, and satisfied. There is no external

reward other than the inner stimulus. To support a child’s intrinsic motivators of play, it’s

important to keep in mind they are affected by three things, challenge, curiosity, and fantasy.

Like we discussed previously, educators are prop-managers, we can support intrinsic motivators

of play by providing materials they are curious about and can be creative with. By giving them

activities that scaffold, they are reaching new levels of comprehension. To support curiosity

(rather than giving a child toys) we should give them experiences. For example, taking a trip to

the zoo stimulates curiosity because they can identify the different animals. By asking them

open-ended questions they can explore and wonder about the animals, their habitats, and much

more. Not only is it a memorable day, but we would also be supporting their curiosity. Lastly is

supporting their fantasies. Fantasy is just like imagination, it is when children create mental

images and situations to enhance their experience of play. One way we can support them is by

playing and suggesting ideas that might interest them. For example, my sister enjoys jumping

from one couch to the other and playing "the floor is lava". To support her imagination, I
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recommended she also use pillows to create a course. Supporting children with a challenge,

curiosity, and fantasy promotes positive learning and development.

Educators are one of the most influential people in a child’s life. We provide play experiences

that encourage development which is vital because after all, they are the future. In this course,

we have learned about children, the type of environment we should provide for them in a

classroom, and the best strategies to support them in all areas of development. That is the

reflection I have made learning about a play-based curriculum.