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Playing and children belong together and children play to have fun. In fact, playing is so important that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child enshrines the right to play in Article 31! But when is something playing? And why is playing so important for children? We'll take you through this blog.
Playing is part of children's development. But when is something playing? Jumping in the middle of a mud pool and see what happens? Playing mother and father? Or playing a board game?
Our starting point is playing in the broadest sense of the word. A child playing chooses what he or she wants to do, experiences pleasure in doing so, explores, makes discoveries and is completely immersed in the game. Children have a natural curiosity and an inner drive to learn and discover and do so by playing.
At Bink, we value children's play, because that’s part of being children. That's how we also work with the Learning by Playing methodology. Where a child's attention is focused, there lies the interest and openness to experience and learn something. One of the most important skills of a pedagogical staff member is to observe the children at play and then attune to the present activity. We observe how children's play develops and try to deepen and enrich it. Children therefore are experiencing even more fun and are developing at the same time.
It sometimes happens that children want to play a game, but that this particular game cannot be played at that moment. Then we tell this to the child and together we’ll look for what is possible.
By observing children playing, we can recognize their play. Sometimes children can discover for themselves and keep playing. In this way they learn new skills. Other times we actively attune to their play. By doing so, we enrich the activity where necessary to enable children making new discoveries.
When we closely observe babies, we notice the small steps in their development. When we notice that a baby can turn their hand, we present material or toys that look different when viewed from a different angle. This makes the play more interesting for the baby. He or she can make new discoveries!
A game the way we, adults, had imagined, can be very different from what a child has in mind. When, for example, the pedagogical staff member, together with the child, removes the Memory cards from the box and wants to turn the cards over, the child's game may already have started. The child may stack the cards on top of each other, put them together by colour or name what he or she sees on the cards. The child has a different intention than the pedagogical staff member. When we notice this, our pedagogical staff will adjust and play along with the child. Going along with the child's play will provide a pleasant and instructive moment.
At Bink, we provide a varied range of toys and materials to suit children's different areas of development. We present interesting and innovative toys and loose materials. In this way, we ensure that there is plenty to experience. This also applies to our range of activities. In particular during the holidays we can offer other activities at the out-of-school care location, because children are present for a whole day. We make trips and organize sports tournaments and there is even more time to listen to what children want to do and what they want to play with. In this way, we also respond to children's participation by focusing on what the children would like to do. We always try to deepen their interest and their idea.
This summer, once again Bink has an extensive holiday programme for the out-of-school care locations. Our childcare centres are also open. We’ve made a nice impression of the summer at Bink. Check it out here:
Would you like to gain some inspiration for fun activities to do at home or deepen your child's interests with activities? Check out our blog with tips here.
