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How can adults support physical play?
How can adults effectively support children’s physical development through play.Good for looking at
- Effective practice
- Physical play
- Scaffolding
- Modelling
- Supporting risk
- 00:08
- Apart from the environmental provision
- 00:10
- encouraging physical play, the other main essential
- 00:13
- is the relationship the children have
- 00:15
- with carers and practitioners.
- 00:20
- Fundamentally, they need to feel safe.
- 00:23
- They need to know there's someone they can rely on
- 00:26
- if they need it.
- 00:27
- They need emotional security and to know
- 00:29
- that there's someone to help them and support.
- 00:34
- Adults need to be available yet sensitive
- 00:37
- to what children need to help them learn.
- 00:42
- Children's learning is a process of gradually moving
- 00:45
- from being supported by an adult or peer in achieving goals
- 00:50
- to being able to do them alone,
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- to being independent or self-regulated.
- 00:58
- This process of support by the adult is called scaffolding.
- 01:05
- Adults who are good scaffolders
- 01:07
- and so promote children's learning tend to support them
- 01:10
- in various important ways.
- 01:15
- First and foremost, they encourage struggle.
- 01:21
- Darson gets stuck but Darrel's close by.
- 01:24
- She supports him, smiling and letting him know
- 01:27
- that she's interested in what he's doing.
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- I see you.
- 01:39
- She knows he's not too distressed
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- and he struggles on and sorts himself out.
- 01:46
- Moderate stress actually helps to develop self-regulation.
- 01:50
- So for practitioners, allowing struggle is good.
- 01:56
- They need to nurture children's motivation
- 01:58
- to strive for themselves.
- 01:60
- I wanna do it.
- 02:03
- Just try.
- 02:05
- Look at how you do that.
- 02:07
- This one step, look.
- 02:15
- That's it, wow!
- 02:17
- That's a good try.
- 02:18
- Look at you.
- 02:21
- Knowing when to stand back is difficult
- 02:23
- to decide but is an essential part of scaffolding.
- 02:27
- As adults sensitively withdraw a bit
- 02:29
- and let children carry on independently.
- 02:44
- Daddy.
- 02:49
- What's up, step here.
- 03:05
- Dad's support has given her confidence.
- 03:27
- Wow, how are you gonna get down?
- 03:30
- How are you gonna get down?
- 03:32
- Nothing.
- 03:33
- Nothing?
- 03:34
- No.
- 03:34
- Ronnie is a bit uncertain
- 03:35
- now he stood up on this log.
- 03:37
- What can you see up there?
- 03:40
- I gonna fall.
- 03:41
- You're not going to fall.
- 03:42
- Ginny mind how we'll render our help ready to get down.
- 03:44
- Can remember how we got down before?
- 03:45
- So I need bottom.
- 03:48
- Yeah, you can do it sit on your bottom.
- 03:51
- That's it, you can.
- 03:52
- You did it before, that's it.
- 03:54
- Put your legs out.
- 03:55
- Mel reassures him, building up his confidence
- 03:58
- and talks him through the way to manage this difficult task.
- 04:01
- Turnaround as you coming down.
- 04:04
- Breaking down physical skills
- 04:05
- into smaller parts to help children master skills
- 04:08
- they can't yet manage fully is a good scaffolding support.
- 04:12
- Step here.
- 04:13
- That's it, well done.
- 04:14
- And then reach back for this one.
- 04:17
- You get that right?
- 04:23
- That was good climbing, high five.
- 04:25
- Yay, good lad.
- 04:26
- Mistakes are often valuable
- 04:28
- learning experiences.
- 04:30
- Coming down from the slide, Lily bumps her head.
- 04:33
- Whew, did you bump your head?
- 04:36
- Okay, you have to keep your head up
- 04:39
- when you come down that way?
- 04:41
- Dye helps it to think about why that happened
- 04:43
- by giving her feedback.
- 04:45
- She tries it again
- 04:46
- and Dye reinforces this successful strategy.
- 04:50
- You're gonna bump.
- 04:53
- Changed your mind, are you okay?
- 04:59
- Watch your head when you come down.
- 05:01
- Now that's the reason you don't bump your head.
- 05:08
- Claire's confident at jumping
- 05:10
- but runs with a jolt.
- 05:13
- Alex makes a suggestion to help her landing and models it.
- 05:19
- Land in your two feet together.
- 05:22
- Benjamin land like that.
- 05:25
- You need to do that.
- 05:28
- Modeling is a good and valuable aspect
- 05:30
- of good scaffolding.
- 05:32
- Whew, well done.
- 05:34
- Ooh you need to look at this.
- 05:37
- Well done.
- 05:39
- It's my turn, stop.
- 05:41
- Whoa, come on.
- 05:44
- Have been waiting for my turn for a while, free.
- 05:52
- Good landing there.
- 05:54
- That was really good from your feet bend on your knees.
- 05:56
- They're all supported by adults
- 05:58
- who know the current abilities of their children
- 06:01
- and so we can support them just enough letting them
- 06:04
- take risks which enables them to move on
- 06:07
- in learning a new skill.
- 06:11
- Amelia perseveres on the balance board
- 06:14
- even though she falls off.
- 06:19
- Hits mistakes and try and error learning
- 06:22
- that helped them work out the best way to do something.
- 06:25
- Talking about the activity helps her concentrate on it.
- 06:30
- North, left.
- 06:32
- Like a pause.
- 06:33
- Yeah, like on hills.
- 06:37
- On use time, they climb, don't they?
- 06:41
- They do.
- 06:44
- She gets distracted and falls off.
- 06:51
- Taio, she hurt herself.
- 06:54
- You do.
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- Taio.
- 06:57
- Susan's lets her know
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- why she thinks she fell off.
- 06:59
- You fell off 'cause you want something, do you?
- 07:01
- You fell over
- 07:02
- because you weren't concentrating.
- 07:04
- Find the shoes on the right fit to start.
- 07:06
- We are going to get back on it.
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- Yeah, alright this has to do with this.
- 07:10
- Working out what works and what doesn't
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- and exactly what it is that has made the differences
- 07:16
- to a physical performance is very useful.
- 07:20
- Safe now for balancing?
- 07:24
- Asking questions and encouraging the child
- 07:26
- to make decisions, it's also a good support.
- 07:30
- I'm not going to about dirtying my hands
- 07:31
- but what do I need to help you with?
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- This end.
- 07:35
- That end you said?
- 07:36
- Yes, I got weaker.
- 07:40
- I see what you mean.
- 07:42
- It's really tricky, isn't it?
- 07:44
- Yeah.
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- It got the weight to bare.
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- I shall put my hand on here to steady it, got it?
- 07:53
- That was incredible.
- 07:54
- Seth and David here are keen to dress up
- 07:56
- in costumes that had been brought in.
- 07:59
- They watch the dancers in the video.
- 08:16
- Michelle makes the praise specific,
- 08:18
- helping them to understand how they're learning.
- 08:21
- I'll light the radio, watch the other dancers and copy it.
- 08:24
- Knowing specifically what they have done well
- 08:27
- or what they could improve, is much more valuable
- 08:30
- than general prayers like well done or good boy
- 08:34
- which doesn't contain useful feedback.
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- You're doing very good.
- 08:36
- Now let's say you put your feet in the right place.
- 08:44
- There we go.
- 08:45
- Oh, well you haven't used all your muscles, aren't you?
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- Yeah.
- 08:54
- Yay, that's really good climbing.
- 09:05
- Many of the elements are playfully supporting
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- and encouraging children's physical skills
- 09:11
- are brought together here as Felicity joins
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- and sensitively with the children's games.
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- She lets the children keep control,
- 09:19
- one of the main aspects of play.
- 09:23
- Jump now, well done.
- 09:25
- One, two, three, four, five six, seven, jump.
- 09:30
- Jump.
- 09:31
- She's skillfully and sensitively motivates,
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- models feeds back and moves the game on in a playful way.
- 09:38
- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, jump.
- 09:44
- Jump then run.
- 09:59
- There goes my girl.
- 10:01
- She guides her
- 10:02
- in the slightly more difficult move.
- 10:09
- Teacher, I think you buy a shirt.
- 10:11
- It is horrible.
- 10:13
- Where did you find what it carries in?
- 10:21
- You win daddy, daddy, good.
- 10:24
- I win.
- 10:25
- You win.
- 10:26
- Here I win, hey.
- 10:33
- I'm tired.
- 10:34
- What happened that you're tired?
- 10:36
- Oh no what should we do if you are tired?
- 10:41
- Ooh, are you tired?
- 10:43
- No.
- 10:44
- Now what are you going to do?
- 10:46
- I'm tired, I've worn my faster pants on.
- 10:52
- You're not tired 'cause you've worn your faster pants on,
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- that's good.
- 10:56
- I can run faster and jump.
- 10:58
- You can run faster and faster, I see.
- 11:02
- You run faster and faster.
- 11:12
- I told you.
- 11:13
- You did tell me you are right you could run so fast.
- 11:18
- I'm glad you tried them all.
- 11:19
- When children know the titles
- 11:21
- that are available to play with them,
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- they're pleased that their games are valued.
- 11:25
- Way.
- 11:26
- Come this way.
- 11:27
- Charlie's thought of the game
- 11:29
- and brings him Felicity to help.
- 11:31
- With the slightly older children,
- 11:33
- the interactions are equally sensitive.
- 11:36
- Right, so what do I do on the blue-mat?
- 11:38
- I run and then I jump over that.
- 11:41
- When I drop this it really means go.
- 11:46
- Where am I gonna run?
- 11:47
- Over there.
- 11:49
- All right, is this the end?
- 11:51
- No.
- 11:52
- She follows their rules and doesn't try
- 11:54
- and change them.
- 12:00
- Felicity's presence encourages with this to join in.
- 12:03
- Thank you for showing me, try that.
- 12:08
- Who else knows how to do it?
- 12:10
- Show me.
- 12:11
- Like this.
- 12:13
- Whoa, I just really can't.
- 12:14
- Knowing just when
- 12:15
- and how to help the child move on in his games isn't easy
- 12:19
- and it's always a matter of sensitivity and making sure
- 12:22
- that the game isn't taken over by the adult.
- 12:26
- Supporting children's developing self regulation
- 12:29
- is most effective when children are allowed
- 12:31
- and encouraged to retain control.
- 12:35
- Eventually they'll be able to regulate their own mental
- 12:37
- and physical activities and not need to rely
- 12:40
- on adult support very much.
- 12:42
- And physical play,
- 12:44
- is certainly helping them down this route.