The materials we offer to children help shape how children play and interact with one another. As you watch each video, answer the following questions. When you are finished, discuss your observations with a trainer, coach, or administrator.
Activity: Materials that Support Learning
How do these materials support learning?
Sensory Materials
What kind of play or interactions do you see for older infants? Younger infants? Toddlers?
Infants explore squishy water-duck toy; caregiver models and provides language (“give it a high five,” “that’s his foot.”)
Group of children manipulating play dough; caregiver notices child’s interest and coaches her through making a ball.
What developmental or learning goals are being addressed for older infants? Younger infants? Toddlers?
Children developing knowledge of different materials and how they work; fine-motor control; confidence in their abilities and agency; language for actions.
Language for actions and things, opportunity to be a model for and learn from a peer; confidence in ability and agency.
Fine motor control; knowledge of how materials works and way to manipulate (with tools and hands); confidence in ability and agency; trust in caregivers who help child achieve ideas.
Would you like to see this kind of play in your classroom? Why or why not?
Dramatic Play
What kind of play or interactions do you see for younger infants? Toddlers?
1st: dramatic play kitchen with side-by-side, individual pretend play occurring with cooking materials and food.
2nd: Using play phone to reenact family experiences; caregiver asks for details about the child’s play idea and repeats back to him his answers; caring for baby dolls by feeding, singing to them, and placing them in stroller; caregiver models and participates in baby doll care.
What developmental or learning goals are being addressed for younger infants? Toddlers?
Fine-motor control manipulating utensils and food; ability to use materials symbolically; practice with how meal times work and expressing ideas to others.
Language to convey ideas and engage in pretend play; trust that caregivers are interested in my ideas; knowledge of how to compassionately care for young infants; rhythm in song; fine-motor control to hold bottle and buckle stroller.
Would you like to see this kind of play in your classroom? Why or why not?
Music and Dance
What kind of play or interactions do you see for younger infants? Toddlers?
Children use different instruments while dancing with caregiver; she models use of instruments; with cultural music on in the background.
Caregiver encourages infants to explore a real guitar; models how the instrument works; caregiver comments on the children’s actions and shows enthusiasm for interest.
Children manipulate different instruments, some homemade, to make sound next to each other.
What developmental or learning goals are being addressed for younger infants? Toddlers?
Appreciation for rhythm and dance and different types of music.
Beginning knowledge of different instruments; confidence in agency and ability.
Beginning rhythm; understanding that different materials make different sounds; coordination of fine and large muscles. Communication with peers.
Would you like to see this kind of play in your classroom? Why or why not?
Art Materials
What kind of play or interactions do you see for younger infants? Toddlers?
Young infant paints with feet on floor, caregiver takes picture and comments affectionately on child’s work.
Children stick different colored tissue paper on contact paper. Caregiver makes space for all.
Children “paint” with an edible substance; caregiver offers language for and interpretation of children’s actions.
What developmental or learning goals are being addressed for younger infants? Toddlers?
My caregiver is interested in me; gross motor movement with kicking legs; sensory experience of paint on feet; language for my experiences.
Fine-motor control; ability to create own ideas, opportunity to form knowledge of color and shape if discussed; children know they can participate in the ideas they want to.
Knowledge of different kinds of paint, opportunity for color vocabulary and to mix colors; experiencing language tied to actions (e.g., “all done”).
Would you like to see this kind of play in your classroom? Why or why not?
Open ended
What kind of play or interactions do you see for young infants?
Child brings box over to sit in, caregiver asks, “where are you going Jacob?” Caregiver labels toy animals.
Caregiver and children building with blocks. Comments on height of building, peers working together, compliments work.
Infant manipulates box and plastic toy keys.
What developmental or learning goals are being addressed for young infants?
Opportunity to use gross motor muscles; to be creative and try out ideas; caregiver interested in me; learn vocabulary for items.
Experiment with balance, confidence in ability and agency, working together with others to build; turn-taking; language for describing items (e.g., “high”).
Agency to grasp the things I want and move them; large and fine motor; cause and effect (shaking key ring for sound, tapping and pulling box); confidence in ability; language for the world around me.
Compare the types of play you see across the videos. Which materials would you feel most comfortable with in your classroom? Why? Do any of these videos change your opinions about the types of appropriate materials for infants and toddlers?
Infants & Toddlers
Learning Environments
Lesson 4
Explore
Child’s Play: Materials
Observation