Category: Play

Information and inspiration for early care and education professionals.

Marvelous, Miraculous Mud: Celebrating Messy Mud Play

Think back to your earliest memories of mud. Did you make mud pies in your imaginary outdoor kitchen? Poke at it with a stick? Jump in a puddle and feel the mud squish and splash under your feet? Mud is[...]
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Free Play, Not Free-For-All

“Play is the work of the child.” — Maria Montessori The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales defines free play as when “a child is permitted to choose materials and companions and, as far as possible, manage play independently.” Through free[...]
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Keeping Children Active and Safe in Summer Weather

As an early childhood educator, you recognize the importance of outdoor physical play on children’s development. At the same time, Arizona’s summer sun can make outdoor play uncomfortable and at times, unsafe. So, how can you provide the active, physical[...]
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Take it outside: Learning in the great outdoors

You probably know all about the benefits of outdoor play for young children’s physical health. Outdoor spaces provide a natural setting for active physical play, helping children gain bone and muscle strength and supporting a healthy weight (Physical Activity Advisory[...]
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Laying the foundation for math with infants and toddlers

Infants and toddlers are observant, curious and eager to explore. Natural pattern-seekers, infants observe their caregivers and environments, noticing similarities and differences, repetition and novelty. As they begin to interact with their environments, toddlers use these observations to learn about[...]
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Communication Matters: Talking with families about learning through play

How do you respond when parents ask: “Do the kids just play all day?” If you’ve ever struggled to respond to this question, you’re not alone. There are many different ideas about how children should learn. How you communicate with[...]
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Setting the stage: Learning through free play

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play really is the work of childhood.” – Fred Rogers Why do we think of play and learning[...]
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Water play activities to support learning

Offering water play in the classroom and outdoors provides an engaging way to introduce science and math concepts. It provides opportunities for problem-solving, creative thinking and practicing social skills and language development. As with any type of activity, offering variety[...]
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