Page |1

Developmental Stimulation
In this module you will learn:
 About the right to play and why it is important
 How play links to learning
 How you can use play to help children develop in all the ways emphasised by
the South African government in the National Curriculum Framework

Protect the right to play

All children want to play - to have fun, develop physical and social skills, and learn
about the world.

Why is play important?

Experts agree that play is important because:

 Children need to play so that they can grow and learn.
 Play is a way of taking part in everyday life.
 Children have fun, and that is valuable by itself.
 Play is key to children's development and brain growth.
 During play, children explore and experience the world around them in a safe
way.
 Threats to the right to play
 Page |2

And yet, everywhere, children's playtime is being threatened. Some

of the reasons for this are:
 Adults don't understand how important it is for children to play freely.
 There are not enough safe spaces for play.
 There is too much pressure on children to do well at school.
 Technology is challenging free play (for example, too much TV or
inappropriate internet content).
 It's your job to protect children's right to play, and help them develop and
grow.

Early Learning Development Areas

In this course, you'll learn how different types of play link to the learning areas
highlighted in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

The NCF sets out six Early Learning Development Areas (ELDAs). As they
play, children learn and develop across all of these areas.

 ELDA 1 - Wellbeing

Through play, children can develop their overall wellbeing, health and physical

abilities.

 ELDA 2 - Identity and belonging

When they play together, children socialise, develop their confidence and
build

strong

relationships. This gives them a sense of belonging and identity.

 ELDA 3 - Communication

By listening and speaking to each other while they play, children improve their

communication skills.

 ELDA 4 - Exploring mathematics

Different games and activities give children the chance to count, sort, classify,
compare and solve problems. This is a fun way to introduce important maths
concepts.

 ELDA 5 - Creativity
 Page |3

When they play, children use their imaginations. Art activities and make-
believe play
help children discover and develop their creativity.

 ELDA 6 - Knowledge and understanding of the world

When children explore, investigate and make things, they get to know and
understand the world better.

You can encourage and support play so that children grow across
all these learning areas.

Play makes learning fun

Key messages

In this session you have learned that play is important.

 Children have a right to play.

 Play is important because children have fun and enjoy themselves.
 It is also important because children develop and learn as they play.
 But there are serious threats to children's right to play.
 You need to protect the right to play, and help children develop and grow.
 Page |4

Play-based learning can help children develop abilities across all

the Early Learning Development Areas
 Play encourages physical development and improves children's overall
wellbeing.
 Children develop social skills and a sense of identity through play.
 Language skills are also strengthened.
 Maths concepts can be introduced and practised.
 Play also encourages creativity.
 As they play, children can explore and improve their understanding of the
world in which they live.

Now that you understand the importance of play, it's time to learn
different ways that you can encourage play and promote play-
based learning.

Child Brain Development

Children’s brains develop rapidly from ages birth through
three. Brain development affects all areas of a child’s
growth.

There are four main areas of development: motor (physical),

language and communication, social and emotional, and
cognitive. Brain development is part of cognitive
development. Cognitive development describes how a
 Page |5

child’s intellect grows, and includes thinking, learning and problem-solving skills.
These skills affect all other areas of development.
The first three years of a child’s life are critical for learning and development.

The best way is to actively engage the child through everyday activities like playing,
reading and being there when he/she feels stress.

How Do babies Learn?

Babies learn largely through their senses: Their eyes, ears, nose, hands, and mouth
are their tools. As babies grow, they learn to use their bodies to make discoveries.
They begin to reach and grasp (watch out for long hair), which allow them to explore
toys in new ways.

For the first few years of a baby’s life, everything in the world is new. Learning is a
24/7 process. They have to figure out how to move their bodies, how to manipulate
objects, how to understand and use language, and more. It’s an understandably
exhausting process.

In the first few weeks, you may want to introduce some simple, age-
appropriate toys that appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, and
touch, such as:
 rattles
 textured toys
 musical toys
 unbreakable crib mirrors
 Page |6

Try toys and mobiles with contrasting colors and patterns. Strong contrasts (such as
red, white, and black), curves, and symmetry stimulate an infant's developing vision.
As vision improves and babies gain more control over their movements, they'll
interact more and more with their environment.

Play with a 0-3 Month Old

Cycle Time

Strengthen baby’s abdominal muscles and increase his body awareness by gently
moving his legs in a cycling motion. This activity also introduces the idea of
alternating motion (one leg, then the other), which he’ll need to understand in order
to crawl and walk.

Mesmerizing Mobiles

Encourage visual tracking development by offering mobiles to baby for gazing. Some
great spots for mobiles are over a changing table and in a common hang out space
where the family spends time.
 Page |7

Balancing Act

Develop baby’s balance and strengthen the neck muscles by securely holding
her/him on top of a large beach ball or yoga ball. Gently roll baby back and forth and
talk to baby about what he/she’s experiencing.

Imitation
Flatter baby by imitating her sounds and expressions. It communicates to them that
they matter, that you are paying attention to them, and models the communication
process.

Marvelous Mirrors

Mirror play is a wonderful activity for babies, even the littlest ones. Prop a mirror near
baby’s face during tummy time or hold baby in front of a mirror. She will love
marveling at her beautiful face.

Black and White

 Page |8

A newborn’s vision is not fully developed when they are born. They can most easily
see high-contrast images, such as bold black and white patterns.

hang them where your baby can easily see them. Some good places are where your
baby does tummy time and on the changing table. Look at and talk about these
pictures as you play with your newborn.

Massage
You can help baby’s circulatory and digestive system develop by massaging them
with gentle pressure and motion. Choose a time when both you and baby are
relaxed to do this activity.

Use baby lotion or unscented, natural, edible oil (like grapeseed, almond, or olive oil)
to massage baby.

Explore Textures

Feeling different textures is an easy sensory activity you can do with even the littlest
babies. You can gently run your baby’s hands over a variety of textures or offer her
pieces.

Be a Bookworm
 Page |9

Reading with children is one of the best gifts you can give them. Even the littlest
babies are learning when you read to them. Plus, baby will enjoy the snuggles and
the sound of your voice.

Airplane Ride
Give baby a new perspective on life (and some vestibular input) by holding baby face
down using your arm across his tummy to support him.

Pleasant Conversation
Talking is teaching. One of the most essential aspects of language development is
talking, and it starts from Day 1 (some would even argue it starts in the womb). Talk
to baby often throughout the day.

Shall We Dance?
Dancing is a delightful way to play with a newborn and bond with the child while
offering the physical contact and swaying motion baby’s loves. Put on some nursery
rhymes and dance with baby

Light Play
Young babies are interested in moving objects and light and dark patterns. Capture
baby’s interests by playing with a flashlight in a darkened room. Shine the light on
different objects and cast shadows too, baby will be fascinated.

Baby Sit-Ups
Strengthen baby’s neck muscles by doing an infant version of this adult exercise.
Lay your baby on a blanket and sit at her feet facing her.

Securely grasp the top corners of the blanket near her head and gently bring her
towards you. Gently lay her back down. Repeat this several times until baby shows
you she’s tired by squirming or looking away.

Eye Contact
 P a g e | 10

Take time to make meaningful eye contact with baby. Eye contact helps foster
attachment and teaches the nuances of nonverbal communication.

Stretch Out
After being in fetal position for so many months, newborns are quite curled up.
Gently stretch baby’s arms and legs one at a time. This helps develop body
awareness and stretches their muscles. Of course, if baby doesn’t enjoy the
stretches, stop immediately.

Before we look into activities for baby’s 6 to 9 months, let’s look at

developmental milestones.
Developmental Milestones for 6-9 Month Old Babies:

 Eats solid foods

 Sits unassisted
 Begins to crawl
 Uses pincer grip (index finger and thumb) to pick up small objects
 Transfers an object between hands
 Babbles with combined syllables
 May use gestures or sounds to express needs
 Understands object permanence
 Drops things intentionally to explore effects
 Recognizes familiar people
 May begin to experience stranger anxiety

Play with a 6-9 Month Old

Tug of War
Give baby a blanket to hold and gently pull on one end. Go back and forth between
you and baby tugging the blanket. This back and forth motion is important for baby to
experience and also helps develop baby’s upper body strength.

Hide and Seek

Try this fun game with baby to exercise his auditory tracking skills. Hide a noise
making object such as a music box or radio somewhere that will be possible for baby
to find. Encourage baby to find the sound and celebrate when he/she does.

Auditory Peek-a-Boo
Another auditory game that doesn’t require crawling is this fun twist on peekaboo.
Move out of baby’s visual range such as behind baby. Call out, “Where’s (whoever
 P a g e | 11

you are)” and wait for baby to turn and find you. Once she finds you, move to a
different location and play again.

Scrunchy Scarf
Stuff a lightweight scarf (or other piece of fabric) into a paper towel tube. Encourage
baby to tug the scarf to remove it from the tube. This activity engages baby’s
developing understanding of object permanence (a child's ability to know that
objects continue to exist even though they can no longer be seen or heard)

Tower Tumble
Though baby isn’t quite old enough to build towers out of blocks, she is old enough
to knock them down! Stack blocks up high and watch as your little one delights in
knocking it down. This activity models object stacking and develops cause and
effect ( the cause is the thing that makes something happen, while the effect is
the thing that happens (the reaction)

Sponge Bath
Give baby a few sponges (bonus if they’re multi-colored or multi-textured) to liven up
water play. Baby will love squeezing out the water, developing his hand strength,
and understanding of cause and effect. You don’t have to wait until bath time for this
activity. As long as you don’t mind things getting a little wet. Give baby a small pan of
water and he can play with the sponges any time of day!

Shake Shake Shake!

Invite baby to explore different sounds. Give baby “big kid” rattles by putting different
objects in tupperware containers (eliminate choking hazards by securely closing the
container, possible even taping it closed). Some ideas to place inside the containers:
rice, pasta, jingle bells, pompoms, small toys, etc.

Hats Off To You

As you’ve probably already discovered, baby loves looking at his own image. Mirrors
are powerful tools for the developing concept of self-recognition. Encourage
development of this concept by playing with hats in front of the mirror. Have baby try
on different hats and notice his image. As the hats change and his face remains the
same, his recognition of self will develop.

Explorative Play
 P a g e | 12

Through exploratory play they learn about the world and the effect they can have on
the environment. This type of play starts from very early in a child's life and is one of
the first types of play they experience.

Exploratory play involves the child using all their Senses.

They will examine objects by looking, touching (with hands and mouths), listening
and moving it to learn about how they can influence the world around them. This
type of play would include sand, water and messy play.

Early Explorative Play

From the first weeks of a babies life they begin to learn through explorative play. It is
important that babies have an opportunity to explore using all their senses.

Activities to help children develop these essential skills:

Messy Play

Messy play is extremely important for a child’s development. It provides children with
an exciting tactile and sensory experience that inspires their curiosity, allows them to
explore the world around them and enhances their learning, language and creativity.
Children learn through experimentation and discovery and messy play encourages
children to explore new textures and manipulate different materials through touch.

The Benefits of Messy Play for a Child’s Physical Development:

 Fine Motor Skills
 Gross Motor Skills
 P a g e | 13

 Muscle Strengthening
 Hand Eye Coordination
 Body Control & Balance
 Spatial Awareness

Messy and creative play activities

 Rice Play
 Edible Paints
 Jelly on a Plate!
 Oats or cereal Play
 Gloop!
 Cloud dough
 Chocolate mud
 Spaghetti/pasta play
 Flour
 Super snow

Sound and music play

Making sounds, playing with different volumes, echoes, pitches, melodies and
rhythms all play a role in helping children learn. When children are experiencing
sound, there are lots of different things that are happening in the sound, So it’s not
just what they hear. There’s also vibrations, there’s movement, there’s rhythm,
there’s lyrics, there’s words … and lots of connections to emotion.

The Benefits of Sound and music play for a Child’s Physical

Development:
 P a g e | 14

 Increases toddler’s sensory development

 Can improve literacy and numeracy
 Is a mood lifter
 Helps toddlers build coordination
 Help toddlers develop their vocabulary

Sound and music play activities:

 Animal songs – with playing cards and masks
 Rhythm games with pots, pans and shakers
 Nee-nawh, Beep beep! Siren sounds games
 Flash cards
 Nursery rhythms and stories
 Heads, shoulders, knees and….( Action songs) The Wheels On The Bus
If You’re Happy And You Know it (clap your hands)

Visual Play

Children develop their visual sense through play. They refine their coordination and
learn cause and effect as they explore movement, play with lights, and mix paint
colours. Describing one's environment to others is great practice for reading, writing,
and creative arts. Inspire visual play by including lots of artwork on the walls. Provide
visually intriguing play objects, like mobiles and funhouse mirrors. Encourage
children to leave their mark in an art area.

Using visual cues will allow children who are nonverbal, or who do not yet read, to
better direct their activities. They may not be able to see a sign that reads "art area,"
but they know that a large paintbrush mural near the entrance indicates this is where
art happens.

The Benefits of Visual play for a Child’s Physical Development:

 Movement
 Reading
 Writing
 Creative art

These activities take it a step further into exploring with your eyes.
 Exploring sense of sight by making binoculars out of cardboard tubes.
 P a g e | 15

 Use a magnifying glass to look closely at some flowers.

 Look and remember game
 What’s Missing?
 I spy
 Sand Box Diamond Mine
 Colour mixing bottle
 Visual tracking with bottle tops
 One colour sensory bin
 Sensory search in rice and beans

Functional/Manipulative Play
Babies and children learn about objects and their use through functional play. They
use toys or objects in the way in which they are intended. They will roll a ball and
stack blocks.

This type of play can also be described as manipulative play. A child uses their
hands to manipulate toys and objects to learn about how to use them. This includes
construction play, arts and crafts and tool-use (e.g. scissors) and helps to develop
eye-hand co-ordination.

Early Manipulative Play

Manipulative Play in the early stages is about learning to use your hands. Fine
motor skills develop through a number of different stages from sensory awareness to
in-hand manipulation and tool-use. These skills are essential for the development of
other activities of daily living.
 P a g e | 16

Activities to help children develop these essential skills:

Reach grasp release

Reach, grasp and release are fundamental fine motor skills. It is important to
develop these skills early as they are building blocks to complex fine motor skills and
participation in activities of daily living which develop later.

Reach & Grasp

The development of reach and grasp is influenced by a child’s growing interest in
objects and desire to attain them.

Release
Children love to place objects into containers and empty them out! This helps them
to develop their release skills and refine their eye-hand coordination skills.

Finger Isolation
Finger isolation is an important stage in the development of grasp. It is the ability to
move certain fingers apart from the rest of the hand/fingers.

When children begin using their hands, all fingers move together at the same time.
As they grow and develop, they gain the ability to move individual fingers. It helps
with being able to fasten and unfasten buttons, hold and control a pencil for drawing
and writing, cut with scissors, type on a keyboard, play a musical instrument, tie
shoelaces, and many other daily living skills.

Pincer Grasp
 P a g e | 17

Being able to pick up small items between your thumb and index finger is an
important stage in the development of hand function.

A pincer grasp is used to hold a pencil, thread a button through a hole and pick up
coins.

Bilateral Skills
An important stage in the development of fine motor skills is the development of
bilateral hand use.

This is the use of two hands together to grasp and manipulate objects.

This stage of development starts with bringing the hands together in the middle and
develops to using one hand as the dominant hand and the other as a helping hand.

Block Play
Welcome to the session on block play. Here you will discover how children can learn a wide
range of important skills when they build with blocks, from maths to problem solving to new
vocabulary.

Remember that children learn best when you talk to them about what they are doing, and
guide their activities. Get involved in block play and make learning - and teaching - fun and
easy!

The learning modules in this session should take 10 minutes or less to complete. The last
module is a practical one. You will be asked to take what you have learned and apply it in
the learning environment. This will take longer than the other modules.

The building blocks of learning maths

 P a g e | 18

When children play with building blocks, it opens up a valuable opportunity to

introduce or practise some simple but important maths ideas. By getting involved in
block play, you can help children learn colours, understand size, identify shapes and
work out the position of different blocks.

Remember that learning happens when you talk with the children as they play.
Comment on the colours, sizes, shapes and positions of blocks, so that they better
understand what they are experiencing.

If you understand that block play is important, you can guide the children to learn
these new skills while they are having fun.

Join in block play and make learning maths concepts easy and fun!

How block play teaches maths concepts

 Maths concepts are a natural part of block play. When children are playing
with blocks you can help them learn and practise:
 Counting - "Let's count how many blocks there are in the tower!"
 Measuring - "Let's use our hands to see how tall the tower is."
 Matching - "Can you build a tower that looks like mine?"
 Position in space - "Let's see what happens if you put that block on top."
 Shapes - "Can you make a tower using only triangle blocks?"
 Colours - "What colours are you using?"
 Size - "What happens if you start with a small block?"
 Patterns and sequences - "Can you describe the pattern the blocks have
made?"

Using the right language

It's important that you use the right words in the right context when you talk to
children as you play together.

 Under, next to or on top describe where something is (position).

 Longer, bigger or shortest explain size, while lighter or heaviest describe
weight. These words allow the children to compare blocks (size and
measurement).

Reinforce and guide

Use open-ended questions to prompt discussions while you play in the block area.
(Open-ended questions are questions which encourage conversation and don't have
a "yes" or "no" answer.) This helps them understand and remember concepts more
easily.
 P a g e | 19

If you create an exciting block area, you won't need to tell or even show the child
what to do with the blocks. Instead encourage them to explore and discover.