Applying playwork in early childhood education settings

Early childhood is viewed as a fundamental stage of life in terms of physical and cognitive development; therefore, the investigation of pedagogy used in kindergarten and young children’s surrounding environment becomes essential. Play is being viewed as a central pedagogy in kindergartens of many countries, and teachers are considered as a vital element affecting child development. In Hong Kong, the importance of “Play” has been stressed for over 30 years; however, government reports and researches reflect the reality that learning and teaching in early childhood settings is deviated from the government’s expectations. In fact, kindergarten teachers face many challenges implementing play in their classroom. Factors such as parental expectations and school policy may discourage kindergarten teachers to further develop quality play time. Playwork is considered as the art and science of facilitating children’s play, and in this poster more about playwork and teachers as playworkers would be explored. Teachers will have a general idea on the benefits of having quality play time in early childhood, how playwork can facilitate play time, and strategies applying playwork theories in early childhood education settings. Strategies such as evaluating play values of different materials, creating playful environments and assessing play environment would also be mentioned. The intended results of this poster presentation are to increase teachers’ awareness in improving play quality in their classroom and to enhance their self-efficacy when hosting play activities. Copyright © 2017 The Education University of Hong Kong.