When Children Play They.....
When children paint or draw they learn....
* to develop their imagination and creativity
* to develop eye-hand coordination
* to distinguish and purposely create shapes
* to express their feelings and ideas
* that their ideas have values
* relationships of space and size
* concepts of symmetry, balance and design
When children play with play dough they learn...
* to see the shape against the background of the table, a pre-reading skill
* concepts of shape, size, length and heigh
* to see negative space
* to express feelings by squeezing and pounding
* to express their imagination and creativity
* that the quantity of something remains the same even when the shape changes
When children cut, glue and collage they learn....
* to control the small muscles in their hand
* concepts of shape, size and location
* to exercise their imagination and creativity
* about different textures
* how to create patterns and designs
* concept of shape, size, location and design
When children play in the dramatic play area they learn to...
* to be flexible in their thinking
* to express themselves with their words
* to try out different adult roles
* to solve problems through negotiation
* to sort and organize play things
* to make decisions
* to improvise and use things in a symbolic way
* to carry out their ideas with the help of others
* to dress themselves
When children play with math manipulatives they learn...
* to create and reproduce patterns
*concepts of color, shape and location
* left and right progression
* patterning skills
* one to one correspondence
* eye-hand coordination
Reference: The Daycare Resource Connection
