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Learning through play at BestStart Napier Central

Play based learning is an approach to learning where tamariki actively engage and make sense of their environments and everything in it, including other children or people and this occurs naturally through everyday experiences. Learning through play engages children and fosters a love for long-life learning and this learning happens over the whole day here at BestStart Napier Central, with daily routines and rituals used as key moments to provide meaningful learning opportunities.

Play based learning has 5 main elements; Self-chosen: Play-based learning starts by giving a child creative control when it comes to dictating their playing choice and style. Enjoyable: Having fun is very important as children will unquestionably go through a litany of trials and errors in which only with play that their interests shall be maintained. Unstructured: Providing children with a sense of freedom and control over what they do.

Process-oriented: Play-based learning is all about the ‘journey’, with an aim to get children fully engaged in the moment of play as they will experience and pick up new things at their own pace, all of which are highly motivating factors to drive them to learn more. Make-believe: Imaginative play is proven to be important in a healthy child’s development as such plays help develop creativity, nurturing empathy, and build social competence Kaiako at BestStart Napier Central plan and provide experiences based on each children's current interests and individual needs whilst ensuring to provide an abundance of opportunities for child lead, play based learning.