Planning Play And The Early Years

Written for early years practitioners and students, Planning Play and the Early Years provides full-colour, fully illustrated guidance through the process of planning and providing play opportunities for children aged 0-5 years.

Planning is central to the role of any early years practitioner and involves careful consideration of resources and the learning environment, learning outcomes, observation and assessment and the unique abilities of individual children. This is a big ask and in a busy setting it can be a challenge to adopt a flexible, creative approach to planning that embraces the unexpected rather than relying on templates or existing schemes of work. This book takes a fresh look at planning to consider the possibilities that should be encouraged when playing alongside young children. It shows how a creative approach that allows for spontaneous adventures in play through child-led projects leads to rich learning experiences that build on children's own interests. Drawing on practice from Reggio Emilia, New Zealand, Scandinavia and settings in the UK, the book covers all aspects of planning including: using observations of children to enable them to lead projects; organisation of indoor and outdoor learning environments; inclusive practice; learning through risk taking and adventure play; working with parents and carers; encouraging the team to consider different ways of working. Including encounters from authentic settings and provocative questions for reflective practice, this timely new text aims to give students and practitioners the confidence to adopt a flexible approach to planning that will better meet the needs of the children in their care. The authors are experienced lecturers, practitioners, mentors and assessors. Working with students, visiting placements, training teachers and early years professionals, they provide a sense of real purpose in their writing and enjoyment in the themes made explicit throughout this book.

Fully reflecting the content of the Foundation Stage's Early Learning Goals (DfEE 1999), this text is written for all practitioners working in Early Years settings, as well as those pursuing Qualified Teacher Status for the 3-5 year age group.

Play is an important vehicle for learning in the early years. With intentional planning frameworks, this resource provides teachers with tools and strategies to organize and develop curriculum around high-level, purposeful play. Practical application techniques help teachers create a cycle of planning and observation as they use a play-based curriculum to help young children thrive in the classroom. Gaye Gronlund is an early childhood education consultant who trains early childhood educators across the country. She is the author of six books.

Now its fourth edition, Planning an Appropriate Curriculum in the Early Years offers a comprehensive guide for early years practitioners and students on how to plan and implement a suitable curriculum for the children in an Early Years setting. It examines the key roles and responsibilities of practitioners working in Early Years settings and those with responsibility for leading and managing provision for EYFS in primary schools. Completely revised and updated in line with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, latest research evidence and OFSTED requirements, this book covers the following aspects of the Early Years including: what we mean by planning an appropriate curriculum in the early years; transition from nursery to school and into Year 1; defining quality learning and play in the early years assessment procedures and examples; integration of two-year-olds into school; the role played by parents and carers in children’s learning and development; the ways in which vulnerable children are provided for; examples of planning material developed by practitioners. With case studies of good practice and questions for reflective practice and group work, this timely fourth edition will be welcomed by students and practitioners looking to provide high quality and effective learning experiences for the under-fives.

This practical text supports early years students and practitioners to build confidence in planning for learning across all stages of the EYFS and in the many different contexts in which it is delivered.

`An excellent overview of the development in thinking about play, based on research into different aspects of play...This book enables the reader to not only access, and engage with developing theories and ideas, but also provides practical ideas and examples that have been tried and tested in the classroom. This book should be compulsory reading for every teacher of young children who are interested in developing their practice to provide a stimulating, active and playful environment with their children in which effective learning and positive attitudes are developed' - Bernadette Hancock, Headteacher of Christ the King Primary School, Cardiff `One of the major strengths of the book is that it makes some complex theory highly accessible to its audience....This makes it an excellent introductory book for use on inservice and undergraduate programs' - Sue Rogers, Institute of Education `This book aims to improve the quality of play in "educational" settings. It will be valuable for a wide range of practitioners' - Nursery World `In this new and updated edition of an outstanding book, Wood and Attfield once again demonstrate how young children make meaning, and construct knowledge, through play. They combine an informed discussion of the 'ideological tradition' of the early childhood pioneers, which continues to underpin most contemporary provision, with a refreshing openness to the new insights provided by recent research, and the new opportunities offered by the Foundation Stage era. Their unrivalled explanation of the links between theorists, such as Vygotsky, and classroom provision for play, is now expanded through considerations of recent findings in neuroscience, and a renewed awareness of the sociocultural contexts of childhood, as well as by studies which acknowledge the importance of boisterous, rough-and-tumble, play activities for children's development. And throughout, they remind readers and practitioners of the important distinction between play as a spontaneous activity of children ('play as such'), and the play which educators offer as a medium for learning' - Elizabeth Brooker, Course Leader: MA in Childhood Studies, Institute of Education 'This book provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of the topical issue of teaching and learning through play. Chapters cover issues including assessment through play, the role of adults in children's play, the impact of play on social and emotional learning and how to develop a whole-school approach to learning through play. ...This book is theoretical and detailed but extremely interesting and there is certainly practical information to be found in it' - Early Talk This timely Second Edition explores recent developments which strongly endorse play as an integral part of the curriculum. The content has been fully revised to reflect contemporary thinking about the role and value of play in early childhood and beyond. A key focus is the provision of a secure theoretical and practical grounding for developing a pedagogy of play. In the first section, the authors provide an overview of recent developments in education policies, and reviews of research into different aspects of play. In the second section, the emphasis is on classroom practice, specifically: organizing and developing play with particular reference to the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1; establishing progression and continuity with Key Stage 1; assessing children's learning through play; the role of adults in children's play; using the plan-do-review approach to integrate child-initiated and adult-directed play; the importance of socio-dramatic play for children's social and emotional learning; and developing a whole-school play ethos. This book enables practitioners to create unity between play, learning and teaching, and to improve the quality of children's learning. New material provided by practitioners has been added, to show how this unity can be successfully achieved. This is an essential text for students of education. It is highly recommended to those undertaking degrees in Childhood Studies and those on Initial Teacher Training programmes in early years and primary education.

Praise for 3rd edition: 'Experienced practitioners and students will find a host of new ideas to help them create interesting environments and starting points to promote young children's learning.' - Early Years Update, April 2009 'Planning for Children's Play and Learning includes practical guidance and ideas on creating stimulating learning environments indoors and outdoors, planning exciting learning experiences.' - Early Years Update, September 2009 This new edition of Planning for Children’s Play and Learning has been fully updated to reflect the revised Early Years Foundation Stage and in line with current policy and practice. It recognises the importance of play as a context for teaching, learning and assessment and links theory with practical examples to show practitioners how they can best support the children in their care. With new material on learning stories, language development, ICT and the home learning environment, the book includes practical guidance and ideas on: • creating stimulating learning environments indoors and out • planning exciting focus activities and experiences • responding to children’s individual interests and supporting personalised learning • sound observational practice and how to assess children’s learning and development within the EYFS framework • developing genuine partnerships with parents and learning links with home. Incorporating ‘Key Points for Good Practice’ within each chapter, and direct links to the EYFS, this is a key text for all practitioners working with children in the later stages of the EYFS. It is also ideal for students pursuing Qualified Teacher Status in the Early Years and EYT Status, and for those enrolled in courses in Early Childhood Studies and Foundation Degrees in Early Years.