Learning and Playing in Early Years

The DCSF recently released this guide to learning, playing and interacting in Early Years.

It's my belief that a huge amount of good practice in early years learning and development can be transfered to older age ranges and indeed other non-education work. The general premise of creative exploration as a means to find out and enjoy all the opportunities that are out there must be a effective approach for anybody.

Jo Graham of Learning Unlimited, who has significant experience of working with early years development particularly in the South of England, and especially with museums, talks more about the values of the publication and how mow museums staff might use it in their thinking and planning...

"In October DCSF produced an interesting and useful publication highlighting
good practice in supporting children to learn through play. Learning,
Playing and Interacting: Good Practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage
provides comprehensive insight into how to balance child-initiated activity
with adult facilitation and how to extend children's learning through
playful interaction.

Museum educationalists will find certain sections especially useful, for example there is a succinct one page summary of the ways young children learn and a very readable (and brief) definition of play. Perhaps most importantly however, this publication can help museums who provide staff-facilitated sessions for children in the EYFS to examine
their teaching and learning strategies and to ensure they have the balance
right between adult-initiated and child-initiated activities".