Playwork is the support given by adults in an unobtrusive way of children's open-ended, creative free play. During a play session, Playworkers are available to assist a child if needed, but strive to be as inconspicuous as possible to allow the children to direct their own play.
Home Page
Latest
Open-ended play allows children to express themselves in play freely and creatively, not bound by preset limitations. Playing with open-ended materials with multiple uses and limitless possibilities, such as molding clay, wet sand, paint, blocks and other loose parts, allow for imaginative play.
The National Museum of Play is one of America's largest history museums and the nation's second largest children's museum. With a vast collection of dolls, toys, and games, it is dedicated to exploring "play and the ways in which it encourages learning, creativity, and discovery and illuminates cultural history."
Friedrich Froebel was truly a pioneer in early childhood education. He established a new type of school for three and four year old children in 1837, which he called a child's garden or kindergarten. Prior to this there had been no educational training for children under the age of seven.
Climbing is an activity that children enjoy from an early age. They climb for excitement and the feeling of achievement. Exploration is an important part of climbing, whether they are climbing a tree or scaling a rock wall.
Affective development is the development of emotions as well as their outward expression that begins in infancy and progresses throughout adolescence. It encompasses the awareness and discernment of one's emotions as well as those of others, the ability to connect emotions to those of others, to display emotion, and to manage one's own emotions.