Care-givers learn childs play

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 535, 10 May 1994, Page 5

Care-givers learn childs play

Learning how to stimulate a child' s imagination through play was just one of the skills taught to participants of the weekend's Theory of Play workshop, run by Barnardos' Waimarino branch coordinator, Celeste Ventura. Just three care-givers took part in the day-long course that was held at the Ohakune Kindergarten. Participants learned about the phases of creativity that include awareness, focus, the creative process and finally the end product. The various stages of play were also explored and discussed. These include solitary play, parallel, associative and socio-dramatic play. The value of play using natural materials was discussed at length, with the group collecting, handling and discussing various natural materials including stones, shells and wood. The afternoon was spent in a 'hands on' situation, with participants dabbling with play dough, finger paint and blocks and discussing the merits of each in turn. An important message from the workshop was the need for parents or care-givers to recognise the importance of play and its role in a child' s development. A child' s play needs can be met from house-hold resources such as paper, flour and water paste, scissors, cartons, old magazines and scraps of material, rather than expensive store-bought toys.