Play/Active Learning

ParallelHow to recognise if children are operating in this stageof play...In this stage a child can at first appear to be playing with anotherchild. In fact, on closer observation the child is actually playing aloneand not interacting with the other child. Parallel play leads on fromsolitary play. Children can be using the same equipment/sitting orstanding next to each other but both are working independentlyof each other; there is no interaction, either positive or negative,between them in their play.This case studydescribes howtwo girls, one inreception andone in Year 1,sat alongsideeach other,sharing resourcesbut workingindependently ofeach other; whileone made a boat,the other madea bed for ateddy bear.The boat and the bearA table of varying resources such as yoghurt pots, modellingclay, paper, string, colouring pencils and different-size boxes wasset up and it was explained to the children that it could be usedfor whatever they wished.Hannah, who particularly likes making things, went up to thetable and immediately started to make a boat. She was soonjoined by Lara, who gathered some equipment and started tocreate a bed for her bear. Both girls continued with their tasksfor some time.Hannah had made a sail out of paper and a straw and thentried using different materials to attach the sail to the boat. Shespotted the modelling clay and chose to attach the straw tothe yoghurt pot boat with the modelling clay. Meanwhile, Larahad made the bed for her bear and was now concentrating onattaching a strap to the bed so that she could pull it aroundwith her. The trouble was that it kept slipping off. But shecontinued experimenting and attaching it in different ways.Eventually she succeeded and was able to move her bear aroundthe room to find a good place for him to sleep.Both of these independent activities were entirely child led andcompletely absorbed each child.Play/Active Learning 17