ABSTRACT

A: From birth, most parents will try to play with their baby, although in the earliest weeks the initiations are really made by the parents, with most babies being a fairly passive recipient of love and attention. But gradually babies develop the strength to

Chapter 2 highlights the importance of the earliest play opportunities between parents and their children and explains how these contribute to bonding and long lasting wellbeing. It shows how family fun times stimulate learning in all aspects of the children’s development. It spells out the kinds of play that children naturally pass through as they mature, changes that are often delineated as ‘play milestones’. The changes may be gradual but they are so important as they demonstrate that developmental progress in on track. It describes how learning in one aspect of development permeates into the others so that all benefit from children being allowed to play, to make decisions about what to do and to solve problems in fulfilling their plans. This leads to providing photocopiable pages of ‘play in the setting’ opportunities. These show how separating out the different aspects of play into motor, social intellectual and emotional gains can allow parents and practitioners to observe particular developmental traits and use this knowledge to illuminate and justify forward planning. They should help practitioners analyse what is going on even before the children can explain their ploys. The four aspects are explained in detail to ensure that observation can be comprehensive and analytical. This done, practitioners have evidence that learning through play is the best way forward because then all children can expand their opportunities at their own pace and so learning contributes to a well-grounded, confident personality.