The curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage is finally out and one of the most important and exciting aspects of the documentation is the emphasis placed on play as a key mode of learning for very young children.
This does not mean that you should just leave children to 'go and play' all by themselves all the time, nor that you cannot involve children in activities like baking bread, for example, where your role as an educator will be more instructional. The children will need help with reading the recipe, getting the balance of the ingredients right, paying attention to safety and hygiene, following the sequence of mixing and kneading the dough and leaving it to rise before baking. The children themselves may still see this as a playful and enjoyable activity, depending on how you involve them.
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