Role Of Adults In Play Environment: Creating An Inviting Space For A Child - An Essay.

1. What does an inviting space look like to a child? 
2. Many early childhood professionals avoid the use of printed materials (e.g. stencils). Why? 
3. What is the role of the adult in the play environment? 

What Does an Inviting Space Look Like to a Child?

1. To a child inviting spaces are room or space full of fun and its capable of making them feel comfortable when they walk in, to their perspective, the inviting space should look interesting and inviting. The room should also reflect the activities being done or explored. An inviting space regarding a child comprises of elements of nature and nature materials. These materials mostly encourage a child to play more creatively and thereby making him/her enjoy a day out (Burke & Grosvenor, 2015). The inviting space also includes the majority of toys that are capable of allowing for different kinds of play. It should be in a place where there is an appealing atmosphere. For example, the inviting space should be decorated according to the interest of the child. To a child, the inviting space should be a haven (Clark, 2017). It should have safety netting and window guard to help avoid falls, edge and corner bumpers to avoid injuries from outlet plugs and sharp edges to prevent shock as a result of electrical shocks. The inviting space to a child looks like a place for playing. This is because a child prefers places where he/she can play both alone as well as with others. Finally, a child inviting space, for example, Inviting Learning space should be a special place in that the child should be given a special area dedicated to schoolwork. It should be a place separated from the rest of the room.

2.The early childhood professionals avoid the use of printed materials because the distribution of the printed materials is difficult (Hanline, Dennis & Warren, 2018). The distribution process also needs to be planned carefully which take a lot of time.

They are also against the use of printed materials since the long-term storage of printed materials may be difficult because of the damage caused by heat, damp and dust.

 Updating printed material usually takes more time as compared to other media. For examples, the process of changing a brochure to add new information requires a lot of time for design, layout and printing (Desai, 2018). Also, updating a website is usually less expensive as compared to changing, printing as well as mailing new brochures.

The early childhoods professionals are against the use of printed materials because the cost of the documents depends on the length of the documents. For example, longer documents are always expensive than shorter documents. When alternative methods such as websites and email are used, length is not an issue that affects the cost of the documents.           

3. It is the role of the adult in the play environment to perform the following task:

To offer support to a child without interrupting: there are different ways in which the adult can offer support to a child when they are playing (Kargi & Yazgin, 2018). The presence of the adult is the most essential support because as long as the child can see the adult, they feel safe to learn and play. The expressions of the adult enable the child to know whether the experience is negative or positive.

To wait and watch as they invent, discover and explore: Since learning is a process, in a play, the adult should not jump into making decisions for the child and should not lift the children during the play. What the adult should do is to wait. They should stand back, observe and wait to see what unfolded for the children who are learning (Alexander, Cocks & Shackleton, 2015). By doing all the mentioned things, the adult will be able to support their children in play without interfering with their development.

To provide a safe learning environment: The adult is the safe ground for the child. This is because the child mostly feels safe on the arms of the adult. An older child will decide on when to leave the lap of the adult to explore as well as move independently.

To let the children follow their play urges: The adult has the responsibility of letting the child explore and engage with the different object of their interest.

References:

Alexander, J., Cocks, M. L., & Shackleton, C. (2015). The landscape of childhood: play and place as tools to understanding children’s enviromental use and perceptions. Human ecology, 43(3), 467-480.

Burke, C., & Grosvenor, I. (2015). The School I'd Like: Revisited: Children and Young People's Reflections on an Education for the 21st Century. Routledge.

Clark, A. (2017). Listening to Young Children, Expanded Third Edition: A Guide to Understanding and Using the Mosaic Approach. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Desai, M. (2018). Module 11 Approaches and Skills of Engagement with Children. In Introduction to Rights-based Direct Practice with Children (pp. 309-332). Springer, Singapore.

Hanline, M. F., Dennis, L. R., & Warren, A. W. (2018). The Outcomes of Professional Development on Aac Use in Preschool Classrooms: A Qualitative Investigation. Infants & Young Children, 31(3), 231-245.

Kargi, E., & Yazgin, Y. (2018). Reflections of Play and Toys on Impressionist Painting Children and Play as a Pictorial Expression. Creativity Research Journal, 30(1), 113-117.