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Creative Play at BestStart Silverstream
Creative play is a vital part of childhood and child development. It is expressed when children use familiar materials in a new or unusual way and also when children engage in role - playing and imaginative play.
Our preschool tamariki have engaged in a variety of creative play opportunities within the environment (self lead and also some guided/supported play with a kaiako/teacher). They have loved recreating the environment to facilitate their own learning experiences. These learning experiences range from creating their own ramps and obstacle courses, to pretending to be in a bus using cardboard boxes, to creating shops (mixing up some yummy goodies).
One of the strongest benefits of play is the way it enhances social development. Dramatic/imaginative play helps children experiment with and understand social roles. Through dramatic play children gradually learn to take each other's needs into account and appreciate different values and perspectives.
As you can see from the attached photos the preschool tamariki have been enjoying exploring and extending upon their social skills of working together, communicating with one another, sharing ideas and turn taking. It is great to see our older tamariki playing alongside and with our younger tamariki, they take great pride in caring for one another within the environment.