These children are riding the train. One of the children decided to build a train. (I was not fast enough with the camera to capture the building of the train.) The other children decided to join in on the adventure.
We may be "just playing", but....
What are the children doing here?
What do you see?
What learning is taking place?
What skills are being practiced/developed?
Thank you for remembering that young children do not "just play." Young children play. They develop through play. They learn through play. They experiment through play. They grow through play. A child's work is play. Play is important!
Please take a moment to reflect upon the photos and questions above. I would love for you to share your observations in a comment. I'd also like to invite you to "hop" on over to all of the other bloggers who are sharing photos of children learning through play this week:
If you are looking for more of our “Just Playing?” posts and resources from around the globe, please visit our Pinterest Board.
Are you a blogger? Would you like to join the JUST PLAYING? blog hop community?
You can join the hop via our Facebook Group: Just Playing?
or please contact Amy from Child Central Station for more information.
Thank you for taking the time to join in on the conversation about the play in these photos. As you can see, the children were actively using their imagination. They spent time negotiating space, communicating, and problem solving. There was discussion about where to travel to, who could join the train and at one point the train schedule. (You notice the young girl begin to point and count on her fingers- this demonstrates one to one correspondence in addition to reciting the numbers- counting.) This interaction took place a few years ago, but I still remember the length that the children played. I also remember the conflict and the coping skills the children exhibited when working out the play. The young girl wanted to drive the train, and when she was only permitted to ride the train- she opted to drive from her seat instead of from the conductor's seat. I also remember this interaction spurring many questions and ideas for future explorations riding on a bus, an airplane and in a car. The children opted to place the chairs differently and to explore other ways to travel through books and sharing their own travel stories.
Comments
These kids were playing together, having fun, communicating and probably making choo-choo sounds too! All essential things for kids optimal development!
I am fascinated when children create "train" play as it inevitably includes chairs lined up this way. The children seemed to take on the role of train riders, sitting in their chosen seat, demonstrating hand motions of perhaps driving or controlling in some way. I see the boy in front at first had a hat in his lap then has it on in the next two photos to truly take on the conductor role. I am wondering about the boy at the caboose seems to come and go a bit, perhaps developing a new idea as to how to contribute to the train play.