It's More Than Just Play

 

Play is a vital and essential part of our children's development. Often times we hear the word play and think that there could not possible be essential developmental skills going on during this time, but that couldn't be more wrong.

Types of Play and the Benefits

Independent play - Playing on their own children develop various skills and forge creativity and imagination.

Parallel play - Playing alongside another child but not necessarily interacting with them provides children with an understanding of rule and boundaries.

Associative play - Playing with other children without the formal structure of rules or games allows them to get creative and form social bonds and experiences.

Cooperative play - Playing with other children in formal structure games and tasks forms leadership and teamwork skills. This allows children to understand complex collaborative rules and skills.

Resources on Play

Value of Play: Poem | The Learning Station (learningstationmusic.com)

The Ecological Model

 

Each person has their own ecological model that influence their development and learning experiences in their lives. It is essential to understand the influences of behaviors and practices that each student experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. These influences can both benefit or hinder our student's development and education. As educators, we find correlation between the influences and the resulting behaviors and make our best efforts to provide beneficial resources that can correct and enrich these areas.

Research based theories and practices have provided educational professionals the tools necessary to understand and enrich these experiences. 

Common Questions for Parents and Educators

What would your students ecological model look like?

Are these areas of influence positive or negative in their development?

How can we take advantage of the learning opportunities within these areas?

To find these answers we must dig deeply into the areas of development and social influences as well as the child's behaviors and practices. 

The Benefits of Diversity

The diversity of our communities is essential in establishing new innovations, creations, and human interactions. Each of us brings with them an entirely unique cultural perspective, that has roots in more broad ranged cultural experiences than we may realize. Multi-cultural families that come together to create a family of their own ultimately blend their separate cultural experiences together, forming that unique perspective of culture in their own family.  

5 questions for inquiring about another culture

1. What is one thing that you would want me to know about your culture?

2. What is the most important cultural aspect in your life?

3. What aspects of another culture are you most interested in?

4. If you could choose a different culture to be a part of, which would you choose?

5. Do all members of your family practice the same culture?

Cultures around the word

Cultures of The World: Explore the Different Cultures Around the World (seema.com)

 

References and Resources

 

References

Gonzalez-Mena, Janet. Child, Family, and Community : Family-Centered Early Care and Education. 7th ed., Boston, Pearson, 2017.

“Developing Cultural Competence: Building Relationships across Cultures.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFfNZf2t2-s.

“Drawing across the Color Line with Kids.” EmbraceRace, www.embracerace.org/resources/drawing-across-the-color-line-with-kids?

Herman, Jonnea. “A New Federal Approach to School Integration, Inspired by Student Activists.” The Century Foundation, 16 Aug. 2021, tcf.org/content/report/new-federal-approach-school-integration-inspired-student-activists/

GoGuardian Team. “Cultural Diversity in the Classroom | GoGuardian.” Www.goguardian.com, 27 Nov. 2019, www.goguardian.com/blog/diversity-in-the-classroom.

“Stress Management Techniques for Kids - 9 Daily Habits to Reduce Stress.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2zWopNUUJE.

‌“For Loved Ones.” Fresh Hope for Mental Health, freshhope.us/for-loved-ones/

‌aefschools. “Fostering a Thriving Environment for Child Development.” AEF Schools | Alternative Education School - Davie, Ft. Lauderdale & Pembroke Pines, FL, 27 Jan. 2022, aefschools.com/fostering-a-thriving-environment/.

‌“Benefits.” PHIT America 2023, www.phitamerica.org/benefits/benefits-of-physical-education

‌“Anchored Inquiry Learning: The next Innovation in BSCS’s Instructional Design.” BSCS Science Learning, bscs.org/our-work/anchored-inquiry-learning

“Closing the Minority Wealth Gap: Join Us in Supporting MWG.” Minority Wealth Gap, www.minoritywealthgap.org/

‌“Compassion for American Families.” Family Compassion, www.family-compassion.org/

SEEMA, Team. “Explore the Different Cultures around the World.” Seema, 15 Nov. 2021, www.seema.com/cultures-of-the-world/.

“Value of Play: Poem.” The Learning Station, 28 Dec. 2014, www.learningstationmusic.com/blog/2014/12/28/value-play-poem/.

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Family Finances Effecting Student Demographics

 There is a large demographic of students and families that are affected by financial crisis. As a community, many families have suffered hardships that have impacted the education or developmental well fare of our children.

Providing families with access to much needed resources can be the difference between a child's failure or success as a student academically and extending into their overall development and life into adulthood. Providing awareness of federal and local financial assistance programs that provide assistance with school supplies, free lunches, medical benefits, interventions, and more can ease the stressors of financial strain on families.

As a community educational professionals and families have collaborated to build and sustain beneficial programs available to students within this demographic. 

Resources on This Topic

Closing the Minority Wealth Gap: Join Us in Supporting MWG

Compassion for American Families (family-compassion.org)

Culturally Responsive Teaching in our Classrooms

 

 

Culturally responsive teaching utilizes a variety of teaching strategies that provide students and families understanding, acceptance, and education. These strategies can not only provide diverse students, such as English language learners, special needs learners, and gifted students an accepting learning environment but also an engaging one. Teachers provide reinforcement of cultural identities to students and providing them with awareness of the rich learning opportunities that are within them.

More Resouces on This Topic

Cultural Strategies - The Opportunity Agenda

Anchored Inquiry Learning: The Next Innovation in BSCS’s Instructional Design - BSCS Science Learning

Collaboration is Key

 The success of our students is reliant on collaboration. Each student has a complex social network and resources they require in order to reach their protentional and various set goals. Through consistent communication and collaboration, parents, educators, and professionals can work together to ensure each students needs are being met. 

“Professionals, including teachers and early educators, need to take the family setting into consideration if they are truly to understand the child and support the family in a collaborative way.” (Gonzalez-Mena).

Each student is a part of a unique family and a larger community. As it is essential to understand the individual themselves, it is also essential to understand their family and community. Some students may have teams of developmental professionals, therapists, language tutors, and medical professionals that have become a part of their everyday lives. 

Resources on This Topic

Engaging Families: A Relationship-Based Approach | Search Institute

Physical Health and Culture

 Physical health is another vital aspect of our children's development. There are many cultural and community aspects to physical development that are important to students and families. As educators we should embrace and encourage these aspects in our classrooms and curriculum when possible. 

Many students and families take part in various sports and recreations that are an important part of their community and culture. Some students are football families, and to some families, football describes another sport entirely. It is important to understand our students individual and be aware of their physical abilities or limitations both physically and culturally. 

More Resources on Physical Health and Children

Benefits (phitamerica.org)

The Importance of Mental Health for Students and Families

 

It is essential to ensure our students, teachers, and families have access to mental health resources. Mental health is often a main contributor to problems in the home as well as in the classroom. Stressors for young learners can cause behavior problems, social problems, and developmental concerns.

Resources on This Topic

Fresh Hope for Mental Health - For Loved Ones

Fostering a Thriving Environment for Child Development - AEF Schools | Alternative Education School - Davie, Ft. Lauderdale & Pembroke Pines, FL

Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

 Our classrooms are filed with beautiful culturally diverse students, teachers, and families. As we work together to better understand and accept one another in our learning environment, we model these experiences for our young learners. The value of diversity can be seen in each of our faces, and we should be proud to embrace and share these differences!

We should all strive to achieve cultural competence and take advantage of the learning opportunities that present themselves in interacting with and accepting cultural differences.

More resources for cultural awareness and understanding

EmbraceRace | Drawing Across the Color Line with Kids

A New Federal Approach to School Integration, Inspired by Student Activists (tcf.org)

Cultural Diversity in the Classroom | GoGuardian