Dropping stones Scroll to learning area

Two year old Evan wants to explore the stones that are in the water tray. He wants to throw them and the practitioner encourages him to drop them instead so no-one gets hurt. They see what happens when they fall.

Good for looking at

• COEL – playing and exploring
• Managing behaviour
• Effective adult practice
• Understanding the world
• Object play
• Materials

Two year old Evan wants to explore the stones that are in the water tray. He wants to throw them and the practitioner encourages him to drop them instead so no-one gets hurt. They see what happens when they fall.

Notice

• What cues can you see that show what Evan is interested in? (Look out for non-verbal and body language as well as spoken language)
• How is Evan learning? Which areas of development, engagement and characteristics of learning can you observe?
• In what ways does the adult support Evan’s learning?
• What is valuable about the materials provided as learning resources?
• How does the environment support the children’s learning?

Reflect

What are your thoughts about:

• What Evan was interested in?
• The role of the adult in this interaction – how did she support Evan?
• The value of this type of exploratory play for Evan?
• The value of the environment and the materials provided as learning resources?

Respond

What would you do to:

• Support Evan’s interests while also making sure the children are safe?
• Encourage Evan to talk about what he notices and is interested in?
• Extend Evan’s learning – e.g. supplying other materials to develop his thinking further?
• Model behaviours of how to use materials safely for young children?

What next:

• Do you need to encourage more of this kind of exploratory play and learning for the two year olds in your setting? Do you provide enough open ended materials for the children to explore?