Supporting Self Directed Play

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Supporting Self Directed Play
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What is self-directed play?

• Freely Chosen
• Personally directed
• Intrinsically motivated
• Goalless.

• Children choose what they do
• Children choose how they do it
• Children choose why they do it
• They do it for no external goal or reward.

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Why do children play?

• To learn about themselves, the people around them
  and their physical environment.
• Discover and make sense of their world in order
  to survive in it.
• Develop social, physical, intellectual and
  creative skills.
• It gives them pleasure and they can release
  physical and emotional energy.

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The Benefits of Play

• Sense of freedom
• Control of their own environment
• Development of skills
• Express their emotions
• Exploration of their own limits
• Exploration of their own identity
• Growth of independence
• Growth of self - esteem and confidence
• Potential of self expression
• Respect for other children and young people
• Through play children learn what no one else can
  teach them.

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Playworkers should

• Support childrens play not direct or control it
• Create and resource an appropriate human
  environment
• Create and resource an appropriate physical
  environment
• Respond to play cues
• Advocate childrens play to adults

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Play environments should provide opportunities
for

• A varied and interesting physical environment.
• Challenge in relation to the physical environment
• playing with the natural elements
• movement
• manipulating natural and fabricated materials
• stimulation of the five senses
• experiencing changes in the natural and built
  environment
• social interactions
• playing with identity
• experiencing a range of emotions

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An effective play space

• Pays attention to and supports the variety of
  feelings and moods children may bring with them
  or have during play
• Has particular spaces or areas or resources that
  at different times encourage experiences or
  expression of a range of emotions
• Seeks to develop via diverse means an overall
  feeling and atmosphere of welcome, acceptance,
  freedom and playfulness.
• Supports childrens feelings and moods during play
  and uses space, lighting, colour, sounds,
  materials accordingly.

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Creating an affective play space

• Lighting
• Music
• Images
• Aroma
• layout
• Spaces
• Familiarity

• Comfort factors
• Sensory stuff
• Elements
• Resources and loose parts
• Attitudes
• Behaviour
• Noise/sound level

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Play spaces

• Permanent
• play that can not be moved e.g climbing frame
• Transient
• play that can be moved e.g den making
• For physical play
• Chase, rough and tumble, football
• For affective play
• Provides for emotions, feelings, e.g music,
  lighting

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Mood descriptors

• Happy
• Independent
• Confident
• Altruistic
• Trusting
• Balanced
• Active or immersed
• At ease