Play is very important to children and is a natural part of their development, “play has been recognized globally as not only an important learning tool but also an important right for children” (Bullard, 2010, p.4). When children are engaged in child-initiated play, they are focused, attentive, creative and free. They can decide the terms and conditions of their play, they decide who they want in their play and the role each person will have.
What is Child-Initiated Play?
Child initiated play is defined as play that is started, “led and controlled by the child rather than an adult” (Drew, 2019, para. 2). Child led play allows the child to have full control over the direction and outcome of their play and is vital in boosting children’s confidence, creativity and innovation. As adults, sometimes we may have the urge to take over children’s play, as we have lots of ideas of how the play should go, but how about we just stand back and observe what the children are doing and provide adult guidance when necessary.
The Environment
For meaningful child-initiated play and interactions to take place, the environment must meet the children’s needs. “A well-designed environment encourages children to be independent, to exercise control and to build competence and mastery, assisting children to build a healthy self-concept” (Bullard, 2014, p. 7). A rich learning environment also provides many benefits socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively as well (Bullard, 2014).
Benefits Associated with Child-Initiated Play
Expression: Child-led play can provide many opportunities for children to express themselves in ways that are most comfortable to them. It also offers opportunities for children to communicate their desires for how others should participate in their play scenarios, which in turn provides opportunities for leadership and coordination of others (Drew, 2019).
Independence: Child-led play allows children to exercise autonomy, independence and creativity by making their own decisions, make choices, think critically and problem solve when it comes to their play scenarios and outcome (Bullard, 2014).
Gain knowledge: Child-led play also increases opportunities for us as adults to observe and learn things about the children. During play, children can enact scenarios that can help us learn more about their cultural upbringing, interests, strengths and weaknesses which can help us understand their perspective and provide support where needed (Drew, 2019).
References
Bullard, J. (2014). Creating environments for learning: Birth to age eight (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: Pearson.
Drew, C. (November 18, 2019). The 5 Key Features of Child Initiated Play. Helpful Professor. https://helpfulprofessor.com/child-initiated-play/