<p> Setting the Stage for Play Four main factors for the quantity and quality of play Time, Space, Props, and Planned Experiences </p><p>1. Time Free play periods </p><p>2. Space </p><p>Considerations  Arrangement of the room  Play areas that encourage…  Utilize both indoors and out  Use a separate area for a play theme if possible. </p><p>3. Props </p><p>Any toy or material that a child uses in play is a prop</p><p>Need variety (structured and unstructured) </p><p>Provide enough props </p><p>Props should reflect the cultures of the children in your care</p><p>4. Planned Experiences May need planned experiences to successfully act out new roles </p><p>1 What adults can do to support play</p><p>Watch</p><p>Provide environment, support, and encouragement</p><p>Playful attitude</p><p>Appreciate the playfulness of children</p><p>General principles for supporting play </p><p>* Let children choose activity </p><p>* Let children determine how long they play</p><p>*Physical environment safe</p><p>* Arrange space to minimize interruptions </p><p>* Encourage use of objects and try out new skills in novel ways</p><p>*Plan schedule</p><p>When children are pretending</p><p>2 *Allow choice </p><p>*Unless dangerous allow to act out negative scenes</p><p>*Supply props for themes of interest </p><p>*Arrange experiences to foster ideas for pretending </p><p>*Participate when needed </p><p>When children are making or building</p><p>*Process most important </p><p>*Do not use competitions to compare products</p><p>*Expect and allow mess</p><p>*Provide more materials as children grow older Helping Babies Play</p><p>3 Birth to 4 months (eyes and ears)  bright and moving  hold babies up to your shoulder and move around  show a mirror  talk in playful way  sing and dance  play with baby’s hands and feet</p><p>Four to 8 months (ears and eyes but also hands and mouth)  toy safety a primary concern  washable and durable  no sharp edges or small parts  toys that move or make sound  minimize interruptions  have duplicates </p><p>Eight to 12 months (active)  provide objects to put in containers and dump out  hide objects for baby to find  repeat their sounds  read to baby  provide challenging toys  in working order  introduce toys with more than one part  stretch baby’s arms above head  pat–a-cake, peek-a-boo  enjoy moving through space</p><p>Twelve to 18 months (experimenters)  copy others</p><p>4  simple pictures of familiar items  read to baby  moving, walking, and climbing  play along with child’s pretend  real looking toys </p><p>Toddlers Play 18mths -3 years (independence-choice)  challenging gross motor skills  challenging fine motor skills  provide objects that relate  working order  duplicates of play materials  group size small  allow children to try new skills in their own way  nesting and stacking materials  opportunities for water play and manipulating  building materials safe size  need realistic objects</p><p>Helping Preschoolers Play: Three to Five years (playful, skilled body, language skills, energy, imagination and curiosity) </p><p>5  variety of toys and equipment  toys and material to develop fine motor skills</p><p>Pretend Play (more complex roles and object substitutions than toddlers)  add variety  props do not need to be as realistic  provide variety of props for symbolization  children choose the themes  become a participant in the drama  puppets and stage  read children books  take field trips </p><p>Building and Making play</p><p> make available several choices of constructive activities  use words for constructing songs…  children dictate and you write </p><p>Helping Primary Age Children Play 6-8 (increasing competence)</p><p>6  allow choices  focus on the process  provide free time when possible  encourage children to dramatize  display projects for others  provide film, tapes, and equipment  provide space and equipment for large motor  provide a psychologically safe environment </p><p>7</p>