Of playing and learning
So I was doing some money counting with a little one this week. We were practising recognizing coins and utilizing math operations ( addition, subtractions and number bonds) to count the right amounts of money. For a kid coping with additional needs, it can be a little intense. However, difficult doesn’t mean impossible. We just needed to do a little more work than usual.
So to make things a little less tedious, we played “Shop”. We took turns selling stickers. We used printed out cards with different money values. The little one would then pick out cards that she was comfortable working on.
It was fun while it lasted. The element of play provided time and space in between practice. It also provided opportunities for real life situations where exact money amounts were not available and the concept of “change” was introduced.
The set up was fun and we did more practice “questions” than we might have done on pen and paper - until such time the little one saw my bluff and volunteered that she gave me all the stickers without any money. It was quite a laugh when she said that.
That said, I am certainly not knocking the significance of pen and paper practice. Reading and understanding are essential in pen and paper exercises. More importantly, reading and understanding are important life skills that we must help kids hone to the best of their ability.
From experience, learning and practising through play is a good precursor before pen and paper work. It provide opportunities for tactile and interactive learning. It also creates a safe space for mistakes to be made. This would in turn have a lesser impact on self-concept for children who have a streak of perfectionism in them. We can also use play to create situations that might happen in real-life.
Learning through play has to be well thought through. We have to be clear about the learning objectives and the skillsets that we are intending to work on. Rules and context should be straight forward and this is dependent on the level of maturity and understanding of the learner. Authenticity in the interaction and delivery are essential factors to make the experience an enjoyable one.
What are other ways we can use play to teach and hone skills? Let’s keep the ideas flowing!
#music #musictherapy #therapy #AllAbilities #musicfun #MusicForKids #specialeducation #inclusiveeducation #inclusivity #allkidscanlearn