Should learning be beautiful?
I have heard people say:
'Children don't need beautiful set ups in their play. This has only been created for the adult.'
My personal belief here is that like most things in life we need balance.
We need reflection.
We must go back to the child.
We can create invitations to play that pay great attention to detail because we are responding to an emerging interest and we want to captivate the child's awe and wonder even more. We want them to be excited about the possibilities of deepening this learning or fascination so we present it to them in an open ended and irresistible way.
I also know that amazing learning happens when things are a bit more rustic and even messy! Exploring the patterns the numicon plates leave in the shaving foam, the changes to the clay when it's been left outside in the rain or the cardboard box that's been transformed into Elsa's frozen castle with little more than the imagination.
Children and their learning needs can be neglected when we lose sight of what they need. I've seen children experience moments of pure joy and proudness with themselves at mastering a new skill only to be met by an uninterested adult too busy setting up a 'beautiful' beach hut role play area that will never be used as intended.
Balance
Reflection
Ask yourself;
How does this relate to the needs and interests of the child?
Is what I'm doing having an impact on the child?
Who am I creating this for?
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