Parent’s are often confused by the role of play in a child’s development and it is not unusual for educators to hear questions like, “why is my child just playing all day?”. Documentation is key to answering this question, educating parents on the importance of play in a child’s learning, and reassuring them that through discovery and play, learning is happening.
Watch the following video about the importance of documentation and the important skills a child is learning through discovery and play.
Once you have watched the video, you will create a documentation board that will tell the story and display the learning that is going on for a child through block play and/or process art. If you are currently working with children, you are welcome to use *pictures from your own classroom or childcare setting. You are also welcome to find pictures online to use in developing your documentation board. It is important to use pictures of the same child or children who look similar in order to tell the story as if it were the same child you are observing.
*Please make sure written permission has been provided for pictures of children from your preschool or childcare setting.
Documentation Board (due Wednesday):
Provide a minimum of 5 pictures of the child engaging in block play or a process art activity
Label pictures with what the child is “saying” about the activity they are participating in.
Answer the following questions:
Describe the cognitive development that is happening. What are the choices the child is making in the activity? What are they thinking and creating?
How is the social/emotional aspect of this activity also related to their cognitive development?
You are welcome to use any platform you like to create your documentation board (examples include Prezi, GoogleSites, Canva, or Jamboard).
