September 16th, 2021

In class today we started off with some indoor playtime which the students usually enjoy. I learned that the infants and toddlers that I’m with, toddlers really enjoy playing in the dramatic play area of the room. They enjoy dressing up and playing with the fake babies and putting clothes and diapers on the babies. One of the things I’ve noticed while doing my field experience is that the principle DAP that speaks about play is important for kids has been present in my days of field experience. I notice how when the students play with the different toys in the classroom, they sometimes mention the colors, shapes, or amount of the items they are playing with. While the students are playing, I make sure I am engaging with them and even asking them questions such as: “what food is this”, “what color is this block”. After our indoor free play, we went outside on a nice nature walk around the campus. We were able to get a breath of fresh air and see nature outside. A lot of the students enjoyed being outside, playing in the grass, and running around freely. Through my few days of field experience, I’m noticing how true it is for educators to make sure they allow students to play because it benefits them overall. Play can stimulate children’s creativity as well as assisting them with thinking outside of the box, it also contributes to the development of student’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being. It’s important that students are given an opportunity to express themselves in a safe and nurturing environment.