Finding opportunities for learning through play

With mixed research on how early children should start structured learning, it’s difficult for parents to understand what is best for children. At a roundtable with toy company VTech and child psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin, I heard the different views on the topic of learning through play, and after returning home feeling slightly confused, I was glad to have the opportunity to get more advice from Dr Rudkin on how to approach the topic and understand what toys to buy:

What is your view on incorporating learning into play? Is there a specific age range that this is appropriate for or should children instead be completely free and learn from the world around them instead? There seems to be two schools of thoughts on this
Dr. Angharad Rudkin: Yes, you’re highlighting an area of mixed research findings and mixed views. Play is defined by being spontaneous, freely chosen and ended. I don’t think though that this is mutually exclusive with learning. If a parent chooses what a child is to play with and uses a different medium to how the child is playing (e.g. the parent is talking while the child is playing through role play) then it is likely that the child won’t engage that much with the learning. If however a child is playing a game that they’ve chosen and that the parent is letting them take the lead on, then there are valuable opportunities for learning (e.g. parent drinking a pretend cup of tea that’s been made by their child and saying “oh, you’ve given me the red cup. That’s my favourite cup”). A sensitive parent play-mate will understand when they are pushing the learning agenda too much for their child’s liking! Doing this well means that a child realises that learning can be fun, and this can be done from very early on in a child’s development. Sharing books with babies (e.g. VTech Bath Book) can be a valuable and fun learning and bonding experience from just a few months old.

Considering the focus on gender neutral toys, is it wrong to buy a car toy for a little boy?
Dr. Angharad Rudkin: No, I don’t think it is wrong. Gender neutral toys such as VTech’s Toot-Toot range are part of a range of toys on offer for children that range from very feminine to very masculine type toys. Listening to your child, watching what they like to play with and how they play with toys, will mean that you are likely to continue to provide your child with toys that suit their play needs. Parents are often worried about what others think about their child’s toy choices. Being a parent who can distance themselves from these worries will mean that they are more likely to be in tune with what their child wants to play with (rather than what they think their child should play with).

How do you see creative play and drawing playing a part in child development?
Dr. Angharad Rudkin: Creative play and drawing play are essential activities for child development. Through this play, children not only learn to assimilate their world and make sense of it, but it also offers adults a window into their child’s world. By watching their creative play and looking at their drawings, we can start to understand how our child is making sense of everything around them.

Tags: Arts and crafts, Child psychologist, Drawing, Education, Pretend play, Toys, VTech