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Play and Practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage
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Play and Practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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November 2010 | 200 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Play is an underlying theme of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) but it is often a challenge for practitioners to provide a play based curriculum. This book investigates the values and beliefs that underpin play and demonstrates through case studies how play opportunities can be observed, planned and assessed in a meaningful context for the child.

Organized into four sections that mirror the EYFS, this book takes you through the curriculum framework demonstrating how play underpins each of these principles and is the common thread that links them together.

Chapters include:
  • celebrating children's play choices
  • ways to work with parents
  • inspiring environments for inspirational play
  • the role of play in supporting key relationships
  • creative play for flexible learning
Incorporating the voices of Early Years practitioners, this book takes the unique approach of analysing the academic theory, showing how this can be put into practice and then suggesting activities to facilitate reflective practice and professional development.

Useful to all those studying on any Early Years course, the book is particularly relevant to those leading practice in early years settings and those working towards Early Years Professional Status (EYPS).
Natalie Canning
Introduction
 
PART ONE: A UNIQUE CHILD
Natalie Canning
Case Study: Playing with Cardboard Boxes
Natalie Canning
Identifying Unique Qualities in Play
Natalie Canning
Celebrating Children's Play Choices
Mandy Andrews
Including and Enabling All Children as Individuals
 
PART TWO: POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Rosie Walker
Case Study: Play and Family Support in a Children's Centre
Mandy Andrews
The Role of Play in Supporting Positive Relationships
Michael Reed and Rosie Walker
Parental Partnerships
Sue Callan with Carole Ellis and Helen Richards
Making Connections between Home, the Setting and Key Workers
 
PART THREE: ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS
Natalie Canning
Case Study: Using Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
Natalie Canning
Exploring the Possibilities of the Play Environment
Natalie Canning
Play Environments in Practice
Natalie Canning
Inspiring Environments for Inspirational Play
 
PART FOUR: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Natalie Canning
Case Study: Going to the Moon
Karen Appleby
Playing and Learning: Ways of Being in Action
Natalie Canning
Creative Play for Flexible Learning
Natalie Canning
The Need to Measure Play?
Natalie Canning
Conclusion

'This book is a well conceived, carefully formulated, coherent and cohesive treatise on different aspects of playful pedagogy. Using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) as a focus, it challenges practitioners to question the EYFS, but is realistic about the need for practitioners to put play into their practice. Full of useful, practical and theoretical scaffolding for practitioners who want to (and should) play more with children, it covers all the major areas of play' - Professor Emeritus Janet Moyles, Early Years & Play Consultant


Helps the students fully understand the various areas of development and how they interlink with the children's needs.

Mrs Carol darwin
Higher education, Ashton Sixth Form College
September 4, 2017

A very useful book to use for planning my lessons and play and linking it to the EYFS.

Mrs Alison Loughnane
Early Years Dept, Hopwood Hall College
May 15, 2015

a good book with excellent links to EYFS and beyond. practitioners should utilise this book throughout their programme of study.

Mrs Julie Clarkson
Early Years, Craven College
March 23, 2015

Great play based approach to linking theory and play. Clear links to the EYFS with easy to refer to pages. The focus is the importance of play which feels as if we have come full circle. Higher level students will still find this book a great read and practically a help with planning.
Case studies help to bring it all together.

Ms Lisa Oneill
Education , City College Norwich
February 9, 2015

A handy all round helpful book

Mrs Dawn Burnham
Dept Of Applied Health Sciences, Farnborough College of Technology
November 21, 2014

This book is very helpful for those teaching about the EYFS, I would recommend for your centres

Mrs Sue Kinsella
Child Studies, York College
September 25, 2014

Great practical book for incorporating theory into your childcare practice

Ms Alison Stevenson
Early years & young people, North West Regional college
December 4, 2013

While this has not been adopted for this current module it has got some interesting case studies and a useful section on enabling environments. This will make it a possible text for other modules.

Mrs Emma Goto
Department of Teacher Development, university of winchester
October 16, 2013

This text includes a wealth of theoretical perspectives and links with practice. Interesting and thought provoking reading.

Miss Alyson Lewis
Newport School of Education, University of Wales, Newport
June 14, 2013

Natalie Canning

Natalie Canning is a Lecturer in Education – Early Years at The Open University. Her background is in playwork and social work, particularly in supporting children to explore personal, social and emotional issues through play. She has published a number of articles relating to professional development and the early years and has presented at national and European conferences. Her main research is in the area of children’s empowerment in play and she is currently involved in research on developing children as autonomous learners. She has taught across a variety of Early Childhood undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. More About Author

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