Welcome to the Play Academy

Here is some of the Learning that happens through PLAY at the Play Academy

Thinking Skills Development:

• We encourage children to ask questions that will expand their thinking
• We provide opportunities to explore engaging materials 
• We suggest ways children can make their thinking and playtime more challenging or complex
• We involve children in decision making
• We value, encourage and respect each child's voice

Language Skills Development:

• We are introducing new vocabulary through engaging play
• We are asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer to stretch your children’s use of spoken language
• We are reading stories and encouraging children to make up their own storylines
• We are designing collaborative games that require conversations or other language exchanges among children

Reading Skills Development:

• We are supporting children in learning the alphabet at their own pace
• We are providing engaging materials that illustrate examples of multimodal literacies
• We are labeling items with photos and printed words in the classroom to help children connect written words with spoken language

Printing Skills Development:

• We are helping children to practice writing letters of the alphabet and spelling their names when they are ready
• We are giving children different kinds of paper and writing tools, like crayons, markers, and pencils
• We are encouraging children to write as part of their everyday activities
• We are teaching children to spell words of objects they encounter in the classroom

Math Skills Development:

• We are providing assorted engaging objects for children to count and sort
• We point out numbers that exist throughout a child’s day: inside the classroom, outdoors and on food packages during snack time
• We encourage children to compare and measure different objects, and find similarities and differences.

Body Skills Development:

• We are providing opportunities for children to recognize and respond to their body needs (hungry, thirsty, tired, cold, hot etc.)
• We  are providing opportunities to practice dressing and preparing for transitions
• We encourage children to open items in their lunchboxes and feed themselves
• We provide opportunities for children to follow routines for large and small group instruction
• We provide opportunities for children to use large and fine gross motor development skills through engaging play activities
• We ensure children are toilet trained and can (for the most part) manage their own clothing during bathroom breaks
• We ensure children can identify their shoes/boots and outdoor clothing and know how to button, buckle, zip and fasten

Social Emotional Skills Development:

• We are providing opportunities for children to recognize their first and last name and can identify it in print
• We are encouraging children to follow instruction and ask for help if needed
• We encourage the use of basic manners
• We encourage children to self-regulate emotions and articulate their feelings in words
• We encourage children to play cooperatively with others and independently
• We encourage children to open items in their lunchboxes and feed themselves
• Encouraging children to be excited to learn new things and accept that will sometimes make mistakes and that is ok!