Running head: ASSIGNMENT 1.

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Reflection Assignment

Kiara Maldonado

Fresno Pacific University

REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT 2

Reflection Assignment

In today's test driven educational systems, it seems that we have forgotten that learning

through play during the early childhood years is the basis for later critical thinking. Play is not

something children do between learning opportunities. Play is the learning opportunity.

Children learn best when they build their knowledge through play. Providing a student-

centered, play & experiential environment at all ages enhances a student's receptiveness to

learning. Students need to be active rather than passive. The benefits of play are evident when we

recognize what children learn when they play. A child building with blocks is learning about

spatial relationships, weight & balance, problem solving and size comparisons, therefore a block

table will be apart of one of our daily learning centers. This center will consist of different blocks

and building activities in this area. A child engaged in dramatic play is practicing oral language

development skills, storytelling and developing an understanding & empathy for others. Play

also provides cognitive development to occur. As play is a natural way young children learn it is

a fun and effective way for them to cognitively grow. Therefore, the dramatic play area in my

classroom will be interchanged with the proper toys and tools to match each curriculum theme,

to help enhance the learning, understanding, and practice vocabulary. In my experience in the

field of early childhood education children tend to act like little scientist. They are always

curious when it comes to how things work and they get the best experience and knowledge by

learning how things work hands on. During play children are solving problems, creating,

experimenting, thinking and learning through a variety of ways of play.

REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT 3

Therefore, implementing play within lesson plans while ensuring curriculum

achievement, play can be added into everyday routines and learning. All in class learning and

activities will be developed within a written framework, which will have all goals and required

learning standards and will be used as a guideline that will help with preparation. Children will

be given the opportunity to learn through hands on activities and play, while meeting curriculum.

Meeting standards and goals is priority, these standards will be taught in age appropriate

activities to ensure children’s engagement, needs, and levels of learning.