A cornerstone of good early years practice is that children learn a great deal through play. This principle applies just as much to babies and very young children as it does to slightly older ones.
The Birth to Three guidance documents for England (Birth to Three Matters) and for Scotland (Birth to Three) remind us that babies and children need to explore with all their senses, an exploration that frequently starts with the child getting their hands on to something interesting.
One of the ten principles of Birth to Three Matters is that 'Children learn by doing rather than being told', so resources and planning ideas on the component cards all focus on making materials available and playing games with children. Enjoyable play can arise from continuous provision through an appropriately planned learning environment, or as adultinitiated special play experiences.
The Birth to Three guidance has an equally strong focus on creating a well-resourced indoor and outdoor learning environment. It stresses that 'Children like to return to and revisit things that were important to them that morning, the day before or the previous week' (page 28).
Well-planned continuous provision enables babies and very young children to make choices and to 'become deeply involved... to concentrate on something in depth... Play allows children to make important connections about what they know' (page 28). Play also enables adults to understand better how very young children think, before they are able to put those thoughtful connections into their own spoken words.
In whatever way a play experience starts, both sets of guidance make it clear that the flow is then determined by how children want to handle the materials or develop the game. For example:
* On the Birth to Three Matters video there is a relaxed sequence of a baby painting with his hands on a transparent screen. The clear practice message is that this adult-initiated experience will run for some time as babies and toddlers explore the sensations of paint and open-ended mark-making.
These magic moments will be captured, and shared with a baby's family, through photos and there is no expectation of an end product.
* On the Birth to Three video excerpts (on the Learning and Teaching Scotland website, see Further resources), the adult-planned experience of the 'Funny Foam' is kept suitably simple, as adults and toddlers get their hands into the foam, patting and sploshing it. Both adults and children look as if they are having fun. Practitioners' comments are simple and relate closely to what the children choose to do with their heap of foam.
* Many sequences in the Birth to Three Matters video show babies and young children enjoying resources that are part of continuous provision: pretend play materials, generous stores of stationery with mark-making tools and places to climb and balance at their own pace.
Supportive adults need to home in on what kinds of play experiences and resources work best for under-threes. They also need to notice those aspects of learning-rich play that do not change across the years of early childhood: the continuing need for time, resources, space and companions.
Time and timing All children need sufficient time to enjoy their play and become deeply involved on their own terms. Adult planning has to be based on flexible timing that enables plenty of 'do it again' and 'come back to it later'.
Adult-initiated, special activities have to be open-ended in terms of the play experience itself and adult expectations for learning.
Toddlers and two-year-olds may use a collection of simple musical instruments to explore deliberate sound-making and simple tunefulness.
However, the children will be pushing the boundaries of their own learning just as much if they find a small drum will balance on its side or a circular xylophone will roll.
Practitioners cannot plan and time activities with firm learning intentions that are laid down before the children have even seen the resources. None of the Birth to Three guidance tells practitioners to aim for this impossible goal.
Instead, practitioners need to adopt a holistic approach that combines giving children the freedom to make spontaneous choices about their play with special experiences. Such an approach will foster many aspects of a child's development, and an alert practitioner will recognise and respond to the progress made.
Play resources Children need sufficient resources, though many need not be bought. What is important is that these resources are versatile enough to give children the scope to determine, influence or modify how they are used - today, tomorrow, next week.
Resources used in treasure baskets and heuristic play, as pioneered by Elinor Goldschmied, point the way for a more general approach to play materials for young children.
Goldschmied's concerns, from the late 1970s, about the limited nature of many commercial toys, are as relevant as ever. There are now even more plastic toys and items with extremely limited scope for developing children's playful interactions, imagination and learning - regardless of the manufacturers' claims.
When planning play opportunities, practitioners also need to consider how the resources will be made available. Books need to be presented on a low shelf or in a basket, a treasure trove of soft cloths in a nice basket, simple construction materials in sturdy containers. Older toddlers and two-year-olds should have easy access to imaginative play props or small-world people and animals that make sense to them, as they know enough about their world to re-explore it through simple pretend play.
Space and spaces Young children need plenty of space, but how much should be determined by the resources and games on offer? They need lots of open space to spread out and move at speed: happily practising their skills of movement and balance or playing a game of crawling-chasing with you. Younger, and slightly older, children need smaller, snuggling-in spaces, where they may choose to settle down with a teddy or friends to organise their own game.
Practitioners need to keep an eye on the play space available, so that there is enough room for an older baby or toddler to focus on their collection of soft scarves or for a two-year-old to build a brick tower and knock it down.
Playful companions
Sometimes babies and young children want to play on their own but enjoyable play includes the possibility of play companions - adults and other children - joining in without taking over. Practitioners need to be playful companions who sometimes follow a child's lead and sometimes introduce a new element into a familiar game.
Adult playmates can ease any tensions and role model social skills when babies and very young children want to play together but are struggling with space, turn-taking and what this game is all about today.
Further resources
* Learning and Teaching Scotland (2005) Birth to Three: supporting our youngest children, www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears/birthtothree
* Lindon, Jennie; Kelman, Kevin and Sharp, Alice (2001) Play and Learning for the Under 3s, Nursery World Books (new edition in press)
* Roberts, Ann with Featherstone, Sally (2002) The Little Book of Treasure Baskets, Featherstone Education
* Sure Start/DfES (2002) Birth to Three Matters: a framework to support children in their earliest years, www.surestart.gov.uk/resources/childcareworkers/birthtothreematters
