Age Appropriate Play Observation Report

My observations in relation to age appropriate play

What is play? According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), “Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence”. Play is recognised as so essential to children’s wellbeing and development that it is included in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The right to play is set down in Article 31. For the children I have observed play is serious but fun. It is through play that they learn about the world around them and their place in it.

In my 16 years of working in a primary setting I have had many opportunities to study children at play, particularly in the early years. It has been interesting to see continuous provision in action – planned by a team who really understand the value of age appropriate play. Children are offered stimulating resources within an enabling environment which allows for positive learning experiences and cover the EYFS 6 areas of development. This leads to informed facilitation and guidance in

I approached them to observe more closely. They were running, as a group, to various parts of the playground, picking up balls and returning with them to a small house. Always one child was left behind in the house. When I asked about their game they told me they were being “squirrels” and “collecting” all the balls. They said they were “storing” them in the house and that the balls needed to be “guarded”. They had shown me their prior knowledge and learning on squirrels and their habits, using appropriate vocabulary. Also they had demonstrated their social skills by working together as a team and a great deal of creativity in imagining themselves as squirrels. Lastly they had displayed well developed gross motor skills, in the locating and collection of the various