A presentation for the Iowa District West Early Childhood Conference. The presenters are PreK-1 Teachers in Iowa.

1. Teaching with Toys
Playing with a Purpose
Chelsea Adams
Kendra Limback
Heidi Rains

2. Introductions
Chelsea Adams
Kendra Limback
Heidi Rains
What do you like to play with?

3. Today’s Purpose
As early childhood educators, play in our
classrooms comes naturally. The idea of play is
creating, collaborating, and engineering, however,
as teachers, we need to be facilitators to our
students for the social and emotional growth.

4. Why should we play?
➔ Play is essential for brain development
➔ It is the foundation for all learning
➔ How children start to understand our world (PELS 9.4, 14.1-14.4)
➔ Play provides language and vocabulary development (PELS 11.1,11.2)
➔ Imagination and creativity (PELS 13)
➔ Develops reading (11.2), thinking, and problem solving (PELS 9.3)
➔ Math skills (PELS 12.1-12.6)
➔ Large and fine motor skills (PELS 8.2,8.3)

5. What is play?
There are no right or wrong answers to the definition of play.
Time to Share
Play is a child’s work,
where toys become
their tools for creating,
working together, and
engineering in a fun
environment.
--Heidi’s definition
Play is essential to the
social-emotional
development of a child.
--Kendra’s definition
Play is how children
engage in the activity of
learning. Through play
they can explore the
world around them and
take risks.
--Chelsea’s definition

6. Types
of Play
➔Imaginative/Fantasy/
Pretend play
➔Constructive Play
➔Games with Rules
➔Rough-and-Tumble Play

7. Stages
of Play
As we assess children and look at how they
develop, we can see children go through all of
the different stages of play.
https://www.education.com/reference/article/characteristics-social-play/
2. Onlook Behavior1. Unoccupied Behavior

8. Stages
of Play
https://www.education.com/reference/article/characteristics-social-play/
4. Parallel
Play
3. Solitary Play

9. Stages
of Play
https://www.education.com/reference/article/characteristics-social-play/
6. Cooperative Play5. Associative Play

10. Lost Art of Play
➔ As teachers we need to leave open spaces for children’s creations.
➔ Have flexible seating.
➔ Access to a variety of materials.
➔ Toys need to be durable, fit in small hands, and not necessary to be the
most expensive-sometimes the best toys are ones you make
together.
https://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Lost_Art_Play/

11. Lost Art of Play
➔ Keep in mind that when playing, there is not always one way to do
something, allow children to be creative.
➔ Allow children to be the leader during play time. Children often want to
copy adults and this does not allow them to use their imaginations.
➔ Important to take play inside and outside.
➔ As adults, you also need to make time for play with friends and other
adults. This will help increase your energy and keep you motivated for
your work.
https://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Lost_Art_Play/

12. Time for us to play!
Play allows us to process what we’ve been learning.

13. The Project Approach
What are projects?
Resource: Young Investigators by Judy Harris Helm & Lilian Katz
In-depth investigations of a topic worth learning more about. Research efforts
deliberately focused on finding answers to questions about a topic posed either
by the children, the teacher, or the teacher working with the children.
➔ Make Projects Child-Directed - What are the children interested in?
➔ Put Play Into the Curriculum - How can we incorporate open-ended play?
➔ Engage Students In the Learning Process - Are the children excited?

14. Phase 1: Getting Started
Resource: Young Investigators by Judy Harris Helm & Lilian Katz

15. Phase 2: Investigating
Resource: Young Investigators by Judy Harris Helm & Lilian Katz

16. Phase 2: Investigating
Resource: Young Investigators by Judy Harris Helm & Lilian Katz

17. Phase 3: Concluding
Resource: Young Investigators by Judy Harris Helm & Lilian Katz
Salad Sharing
Concluding Project

18. First
Grade
Plays
Too!
A story of Global School
Play Day and how play can
be purposeful and
meaningful in First grade.
➔ Why is the First Grade Teacher So excited
about play?
Martin Luther stated that students are uniquely gifted
children of God. When we offer play and choice, we are
honoring who God created these children to be as learners.
➔ Check out www.globalschoolplayday.com
➔ Twitter: @GSPlayDay
➔ #GSPD2018
➔ Purpose of this organization is to raise
awareness of the necessity of play.
➔ First grade had many experiences with play
up until this point: MakerSpaces, Choices in
Literacy, Math, etc.

19. Preparation
for Global
School
Play Day
Toys Used in First Grade:
➔ Race cars
➔ Dinosaurs
➔ Blankets and Stuffed Animals
➔ Math mainipulatives (Pattern
blocks, cubes, tangrams)
➔ Art Supplies
➔ Makerspace supplies (bits and
pieces, cardboard, recycled
materials, etc.)
➔ Train tracks
➔ Wooden Blocks

20. What Was Learned..
The students are intricate storytellers.
Imaginative play all day long:
➔ Puppies, a dragon
➔ Stranger Danger
➔ Stopping mid-story to negotiate.
➔ Same story line all day long.

21. The Next
Day...
● Writer’s Workshop
● Sequenced Stories with the
storyline from previous day.
● Wrote with gusto
● Many examples of risk taking

22. Play is often talked about as if it were a
relief from serious learning.
But for children play is serious learning.
Play is really the work of childhood.
-Fred Rogers

23. Remember to play everyday!

24. Giveaway
Time!
Because who doesn’t love
FREE stuff?

25. Thanks!Contact us:
Chelsea Adams
chelsea.adams@molcs.org
Kendra Limback
kendra.limback@molcs.org
Heidi Rains
heidi.rains@molcs.org