Learning Through Play

‘Learning through play’ – what does that mean?

Manotick Co-operative Nursery School/Riverside South Co-operative Nursery School programs follow a “play-based curriculum”.  Our Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers provide an environment that is full of wonder and possibilities and use those cues to follow the child’s lead.  For example, if children are building in the block area, a teacher might observe, support and extend their play by asking open-ended questions:  “I can see you’re having trouble keeping the cardboard blocks together.  Is there anything you need to fix it?”  The teacher will make suggestions to extend the play and build on the child’s learning experience (for example – offering rolls of tape). Finally, the teacher will document the progress to use this toward developing objectives for the group.