Children love to play!
The things children learn during playtime, whether with a parent or friend, stick with them forever. These life lessons may be academic or core life skills they’ll use later in life.
Bright Beginnings Learning Centre focuses on play-based learning. Our program provides an engaging setting tailored to each child’s unique needs.
We follow an innovative learning approach to help your child understand and develop at their own unique pace.
If you’re worried about your child’s milestones or development, this is just the place to begin.
We believe the first five years matter most to a child’s development. When you entrust us with your child, we make it our priority to meet their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth needs in a fun and learning environment.
Our Early Years Learning Framework is structured to provide age-appropriate learning in a secure environment.
Book a visit and watch play-based learning in action at Bright Beginnings Learning Centre today.
Understanding Play-Based Learning
What is play-based learning?
Play-based learning means engaging a child in play while fostering their natural learning abilities.
This strategy invites children to explore, experiment, and learn while indulging in activities of their interest. At Bright Beginnings Learning Centre, every child matters.
The environment serves a supportive function, providing them with the needed comfort and equipment or materials to speed up the learning process.
You’d be surprised to learn that play-based learning helps children in a lot of ways. Let’s take a look at a few.
Cognitive Play-Based Learning
When children move about and explore their surroundings, they learn important skills.
These include
- Problem-solving
- Cause and effect relationships
- Perception
- Reasoning
- Language processing and
- Executive function skills
Physical Play-Based Learning
Of course, when there’s activity, there’s physical development. By moving around and exploring new things, a child develops:
- Balance
- Coordination
- Agility
- Gross and fine motor skills
- Physical strength and endurance
Social Skills
Learning alone versus learning in an environment with friends your age are two entirely different things.
At our centre, children feel safe and at ease playing with other kids their age. We facilitate play time to help them develop social skills like
- Interacting with their peers
- Negotiation
- Sharing
- Empathy
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
Emotional Skills
Children also learn a very important skill here, i.e., managing emotions. When there’s a safe space around them, they learn:
- Emotional regulation
- Empathy
- Self-awareness
- Adaptability
- Coping skills
- Stress management
Types of Play-Based Learning
Bright Beginnings Learning Centre has two types of play-based learning systems: free play and structured play.
Free Play
Free play is unstructured. We follow the directions of the child. The children are free to choose their activities, explore things of their choice, and move around at their own pace.
Such an environment helps build independent problem-solving skills and enhances imagination and creativity.
Examples of free-play activities include
- Role-playing
- Imaginative play
- Movement activities
- Building or construction
- Outdoor exploration
Structured Play
Structured play revolves around specific rules or objectives set by an adult. It is an organised form of learning focused on achieving particular goals or learning outcomes.
Structured learning can help children learn to follow instructions to achieve goals.
Examples include
- Games with rules
- Art projects
- Puzzles
- Board games
- Building blocks
- Role-playing
- Sports
Types of Learning
Play-based learning isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are different types and tactics involved in this type of learning.
Sensory Play
Sensory play includes activities that use our senses, such as sense of touch, sense of smell, sense of taste, etc. Activities include playing with
- Play-Doh
- Kinetic sand
- Water
- Foam play
- Fingerprinting
Imaginative Play
This includes role-playing or pretend-playing, in which children are given different scenarios or stories to act out.
Physical Play
These are the physical activities to get children up and running. These help them develop motor skills and maintain their physical fitness. It includes activities like
- Jumping
- Running
- Climbing
- Dancing, etc.
Constructive Play
In constructive play, children are given something to build or create using different objects, such as building blocks, puzzles, or Lego.
Social Play
This type involves playing with other children. Children collaborate and communicate with others through
- Group sports
- Storytelling
- Circle time
- Playdates
- Scavenger hunts
Benefits of Play-Based Learning
In a play-based learning environment, children grow and learn at their own pace. Play-based learning has several benefits, and that’s why we use it at Bright Beginnings Learning Centre.
Let’s take a look at the key benefits of the approach.
- Cognitive Development: Play-based learning stimulates the brain and enhances cognitive development.
- Social Skills: Children learn to interact with others, develop social skills, and learn to work in a team.
- Emotional Regulation: It also gives them a safe space to vent out their emotions and cope with stressors
- Language Development: Children engage in storytelling and conversations and learn how to communicate with others during playtime.
- Imagination and Intuition: It nurtures creativity, allowing children to explore new ideas
- Physical Development: Play also improves physical development by enhancing motor skills and coordination
- Life Skills: Play-based learning encourages children to solve problems, take initiative, and make decisions.
- Adaptation: The methodology is also adaptable to different learning styles, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
But these aren’t just bookish facts. They are actually put into action at Bright Beginnings Learning Centre.
Still in doubt? Come and watch all these benefits of play-based learning in action at our centre by booking a free tour.