Term three is well underway and the preschoolers are busy learning through play. The educators design the learning space based on the children’s interests and developmental requirements.
The children have been enjoying playdough. What do the children learn while playing with playdough?
They are developing strength and control of their finger muscles as they squeeze, flatten, mould, break & roll the playdough. This control is an important first step towards learning how to write at school.
Playing with playdough is a calming experience. Children can relax and release excess energy and tension as they play.
Playdough stretches the imagination! This open-ended material can become a cake, a snail, a mountain or a monster! The children encourage each other as they develop ideas.
Eye hand co-ordination is developed as the children use rolling pins, cookie cutters, plastic knives, and playdough scissors.
Social skills are developed as the children learn to share the space and materials. They talk to each other as they play, developing language skills as well.
Numeracy skills are developed as the children count the eggs they made for the nest or compare the length of the worms they have created.
Playing with playdough is fun, so the children focus on their play developing all these skills and more!
Play-based learning is the best type of learning for preschoolers.
Road Safety has been a focus at preschool. The children have made posters with their parents to remind each other that it is important for children to hold hands with a grown up when out and about. Thank you, families for agreeing to have your hands painted – the children did enjoy making their grown-ups messy!
Bruce, the school crossing supervisor visited us at preschool and explained how to keep safe when using the school crossing. He accompanied us on an excursion to the crossing and stopped all the cars while we crossed the road! Thank you, Bruce. Young children learn by doing.
The Olympic games have inspired us here at the preschool. The children have been practising their visual discrimination skills as they colour in the Olympic rings in the corresponding colours. They have also been hurdling – some amazing styles have emerged, as “unicorns” and “cheetahs” as well as children jumped over the obstacles with great style. (Thank you, Todd, for the loan of your hurdles!)
The Preschool would like to give a BIG thank you to the team at Bunnings Nowra! They have donated and delivered lots of lovely new sand to top up our sand pit. They also donated a voucher which we have used to buy a sand pit cover, a rake and some potting mix for our preschool plants.
(Early Years Learning Framework: Practice 3 – Play based Learning and intentionality.)
