Play Based Learning
As the name stands, Play based Learning is all about teaching in "the real world" and through play and above all, it is "child-led". It involves loosely structured sessions paced by the child with no specific order for instructions. The child is taught away from a structured setting (usually sitting on a table for hours and doing monotonous tasks) and the activities and materials in the child's environment are used to teach targets.
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The beauty of this method is that the child never feels that he/she is actually learning because the entire target is incorporated through play / natural environment activities.
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Let's see how we can combine learning targets, play, gross and fine motor and sensory activities to make the learning experience memorable and enjoyable for a child :)
1. Feeding the Monkey / Feeding the monster game
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This is one of our favourite options as this game gives you endless possibilities. The name quite explains what we try to do here. We can use this to teach new vocabulary, colours, numbers, sight or CVC words and what not? Sky is the limit here!
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You can get this free printable by 'Teaching Talking' here.
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If you have a really active and agile child, you don't have to sit them down for this activity. Instead, combine it with the gross motor activities suggested below or something your child already likes.
Say for example - Play the monkey in a different location and make the child carry the pieces to food to the monkey either by crawling through a tunnel or getting past jumping on a trampoline, or walking to the monkey with the monster feet.
Combine this with the following motor activities -
2. Teaching Prepositions with a dolls house / car garage toys
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If you have a child who loves playing with a dolls house​ or a car garage, what else could be the best way to teach them Prepositions?
Grab this opportunity and tell them to place the table "in" the living room or place the mum doll "next to" the baby doll. First teach them by demonstrating what you mean. They can place the clock "above" the bed or the sofa "in front of" of the table. Again you have ample opportunities!
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Only they learn, slowly move it to other toys and to real world and help them generalize what they have learnt.
3. Teaching body parts or five senses with Potato Head / Playdough activities
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Potato Head is one of the favourite toys of young children and hey who doesn't like Playdough or Kinetic sand?
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We can use the body parts of Potato head to teach our children. You could also mix them with Prepositions (if your child is ready for that) to say things like - Place the eyes "above" the nose and the mouth "below" the nose etc.
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There is a lovely game here http://alittlepinchofperfect.com/learning-5-senses-potato-head-game-free-printable/ for teach five senses to your child using potato head!
4. Puzzle piece hunt / Treasure hunt
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Here is a lovely example of this -
https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2013/06/rainy-day-activity-for-kids-puzzle-hunt.html
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We could also adopt this 'Treasure Hunt' idea to teach different concepts to a child who is agile and doesn't want to sit down on a table for learning activities.
5. Bean bag throw game
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Another cool idea of writing targets on post-its and making the child throw bean bag at each of them ​when we shout out the choice.
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Children love bean bag activities and it also keeps them physically active.
6. Chalkboard 'Erase the right one' game
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Sometimes children are more interested in erasing the chalkboard than actually writing on them.​
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So how about doing the reverse of writing and asking a child to erase the right letter or number or shape when you tell them one.
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We can also different twists to it by spraying water from a spray bottle on the letter on the chalkboard instead of erasing it.
7. Fishing the alphabet / number / colour / object game
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We all have done a lot of pretend play when we were young. Right from arranging all the pillows and cushions and making an island for ourselves to throwing a blanket on a table and forming a tent underneath :)
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This fishing game is a similar one with a blue sheet on the floor that would look like a river and adding a laundry basket boat to it. Again, you can use this for teaching any target as the child sails along the river and fishes things!
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Here is a free alphabet fish printable from Mominspiredlife.com
8. Fly swatter / Fried egg game
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This is a very interesting game where in the child will fly swatter the shapes or numbers or words or letter of alphabet that we should out.
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These targets could also be made in the shape of fried eggs so the child could cook them in the pan and serve it on a plate to you!
More gross motor ideas here -
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http://whatmomslove.com/kids/active-indoor-games-activities-for-kids-to-burn-energy/