Learning Through Play In Early Years
LEGO Education's Jessica Clifton discusses how practical resources can be used to support early emotional development at the EYFS, and give children the key skills needed to prepare them for life at primary school…
Every child is naturally inquisitive. Each time they use one of their senses to experience something new, connections are made that help shape the way they think, feel, behave, and learn, both now and in the future.
During early childhood, children also begin to understand themselves – their characteristics, their likes and dislikes and their emotions – and start to recognise the feelings and behaviour of others.
Children’s emotions can be very powerful at this age. They may become frustrated when unable to do something, feel frightened in new situations or become upset if they feel left out. As such, early years practitioners have the responsibility – and more importantly, the privilege – of helping children explore the world around them and develop the skills they need to understand how to process their behaviour and emotions appropriately.
Make learning fun
Facial expressions are a hugely powerful form of communication between people, conveying emotions and opinions. In early years, children are just starting to learn how to differentiate between facial expressions and develop an understanding of concepts such as sympathy and empathy, so it’s important to encourage this.
Why not have pupils discuss emotions in a practical way, by asking them to convey their interpretation of a ‘happy’ or ‘angry”’ face, or how they would react if they saw someone looking sad? This makes learning playful and helps them to develop their emotional literacy and a deeper understanding of how feelings are exhibited by the people around them, thus enabling them to learn how they can channel their own feelings in a healthy and appropriate way.
Practical learning, where children are able to actively explore, makes this process of learning more ‘real’ and will ensure they remain engaged – something that can often be a challenge at an early age, as our attention spans similar develop as we mature.
LEGO® Education’s early years resources have been specifically developed to support children’s social and emotional development, and enable them to explore emotions and characteristics through hands-on, engaging activities.
A social world
Building social skills is another critical factor in children’s development, as this has an influence that will extend across the rest of their lives. With opportunities for collaboration occuring in both formal education settings and real-world environments, giving children the chance to engage with teamwork does a great deal to encourage communication skills, resilience and confidence.
If we want to prepare today’s children for successful futures in what is becoming an ever more socially and culturally diverse world, then it’s vital that they’re able to work together with others to overcome differences and difficulties in order to complete a task.
With LEGO Education’s Build Me “Emotions”, you can encourage children to work together to build a family, before asking them to describe the roles of each family member and how this makes them feel.
You could then lead discussions around why certain characters may have particular feelings and how they might respond. This will give your children the chance to identify and interpret different emotions and distinct personalities, while at the same time developing a positive sense of self and exploring their own emotional attachments.
The future and beyond
When children are able to learn through play, challenging and potentially emotional topics become easier to talk about and children get the chance to actively enquire and explore the world around them. Emotions are the foundation for all kinds of relationships; bonds that are important for all of us to develop and maintain. In that critical period of early childhood, supporting a child’s social and emotional development is paramount.
The children of today are the future of tomorrow. We need to prepare them to navigate the social sphere surrounding them in an emotionally sensitive way, while ensuring that they have the social literacy skills they’ll need to successfully communicate and collaborate with the individuals and personalities they’ll encounter over the course of their lives.
For more information, visit LEGOeducation.co.uk or follow @LEGOeducationUK
