Toddlers love to play! In fact, research tells us that it’s one of the best ways toddlers learn too. That’s why Toddlers and Twos lessons teach children through guided play. Guided play helps children: •D evelop skills (like listening and acting properly) •G ain knowledge (like Bible songs and stories about how much God loves them) •O rganize what they already know (by reviewing the Bible story or by sorting items) •E njoy the learning process (by participating in activities that are age appropriate) All in a safe and secure setting because they know you care about them.
FOUR TYPES OF PLAY Making the most of children’s playtime involves watching for teachable moments. Playing alongside the children and asking questions is a great way to turn their fun play into guided play. Here are examples of four types of guided play:
1. Basic or Free play—Children play to explore their environment and to see how things
work. You can help them think about what they are learning with questions like: ➜ What are you holding? ➜ What is it used for?
2. Creative play—Children love to build and create things, so encourage their cre-
ative play with questions like: ➜ Can you make me an animal with the play dough? ➜ Can you draw a picture of a sun?
3. Dramatic play—As children pretend and role-play stories,
they are experiencing play through their actions. Guide their play by saying: ➜ How does an elephant move? ➜ Can you pretend to be Noah in today’s story? l Let’s use this box for his boat.
4. Cooperative play—As children
play games, they will learn about guidelines, boundaries, and how to interact with one another in socially acceptable ways. For example, playing Simon Says teaches children to follow directions. The familiar game of tag teaches taking turns.
BENEFITS OF GUIDED PLAY When these four types of guided play are intentionally and purposefully used, toddlers will learn 6
Toddlers & Twos
