Reflective Account

Unit 3.4 WB: Promote enabling play environments

3.1. Model positive behaviour.

I develop positive behavior in children in various ways. This is attributable to the fact that

children are observers and therefore learn through what they observe. I encourage positive

behavior among the children by ensuring that I am their role model. In doing so, I ensure that

my behavior can be employed to guide children. This happens when a child observes what I

do and by doing so, the children achieve clues, and thus, what I do is usually more crucial

even than what I say. I also ensure that I share my feelings with children. This infers that

whenever I share with the children the impacts of their behavior on me, they can perceive and

see their feelings in me. Lastly, I normally like giving positive feedback to the children who

always behave as I desire.

3.2. Plan an enabling environment which supports children’s socialisation and group learning.
For any early year environment to be enabled for group learning and socialization, I need to

comprehend how children learn and the value of children’s independence. I ensure that I am

always tidy and uncluttered together with the environment I want to perform the learning

activities. In addition, I place resources that children will need at an accessible height that all

children can see and access. In addition, I always make sure that the environment is a cozy,

quiet space where all children can sleep, play, look at books, or rest. As a practitioner, I

always ensure that am flexible in terms of time to consider the interests and needs of children.

This is because whenever I stick to a fixed routine, the outcomes end up being different and

children love things to be repeated to quench their curiosity.

3.3. Use strategies when supporting children to manage their own behaviour.
I support children to learn to manage their behavior whenever I view them as being capable

and competent and approach situations from a strength-based perspective. I also ensure they

feel secure and let them know that I am there to assist and support them. I also provide

positive reinforcement, encouraging a strong sense of identity, and pride in themselves. In

addition, I develop collaborative partnerships that involve respectful communication about all

aspects of a child’s learning which helps parents to adopt a holistic and consistent approach.

Whenever a family requires my support, it is always my position to be non-judgmental. It

assists me to place myself in the shoes of the family whose child is demonstrating

challenging behavior.

5.1. Plan an enabling play environment:

• indoors

I ensure that the indoor environment is interesting, comfortable, attractive, and appropriate

for children. This is because, for some children, it becomes their second home where they

may sleep or eat. I ensure that the indoor space is flexible to accommodate the changing

interests and needs of the children. I use high-quality resources. Further, books have to be

attractive and well-kept reflecting the fascination of the children. I place resources such as

blocks of building with, felt pens, chalks, or pencils for mark-making, clothes for dressing up

in, and small items such as cars, dolls, and jigsaws in places where they are accessible by the

children themselves.

• outdoors.
In my understanding, children acquire enormous merits from learning outdoors. Actually, I
usually ensure that they access the outdoor space every day unless the weather is very bad.

Whenever am with the children outdoors, I see them happy since they do not have movement

restrictions like while they are inside. When I observe the children outdoors, I see their

confidence growing where opportunities such as problem solving, creativity, and big scale

emerge. I employ the using of milk crates, old tyres, and toys which brings forth imagination

that’s employed in various ways.

5.2. Create an enabling play environment:

• indoors
Whenever I want to conduct a playing activity indoors, there are various things that I

consider. To begin with, I ensure that every child feels safe, welcome, and has a sense of

belonging. This makes the children feel the warmth of the indoor space and ensures that I

have a positive relationship with them. In addition, indoors is the place where a lot of

children spend their time. I make sure that displays are developed with care, purposeful, and

colorful to align with the interest of the children. I also use positive language every time I am

having an indoor activity with children. I use clear and appropriate pictures with bold fonts to

consider their visual capabilities. I also ensure that the books and other learning materials are

arranged and tidy. This encourages children to see how one cares for the items and develop

the same attitude.

• outdoors.
As a practitioner, I understand that play is the core of all learning, and thus, enabling a play

environment is important to the enjoyment and development of children. I ensure that

children access outdoor play daily so that they can play and explore their outdoor settings
unless the weather does not allow it. I ensure equipment such as hula hoops, climbing frames

and slides permit appropriate physical and well-being mentally. I allow children to use their

imagination in outdoor settings via role play. For example, a climbing frame can be a castle,

and a marked circle on the floor can be a dungeon. The imagination relies on them entirely.

6.1. Plan opportunities which support children’s understanding of the world

Last week I conducted an outdoor activity where I took children to the city and spent more

time at the Animal Game Reserve. My aim was for the children to go discussing with each

other of what they observed during the way and the time the activity was taking place. I also

engaged the parents to obtain their support and for them to engage further with the children

about the activity. In the animal game reserve, children are exposed to various animals which

they normally see in books or via watching. My activity involved bringing the reality closer

to them.

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6.2. Lead opportunities which support children’s understanding of the world.
I understand that children begin learning about the world by first learning about their home

and nearby things. In the outdoor activity that I planned earlier i.e., the visit to the Animal

Reserve, I wanted to expose children to outdoor things such as traffic lights and show them

how they operate. I also made sure that children came across natural objects such as rivers

and valleys to expose them to nature. In the animal reserve, children got to learn about

various animals that they normally see in drawings by coming into physical contact with

them. In our short journey, children also observed what society is made of. I did allow them

to also interact with law enforcement officers to encourage them not to fear them.
7.1. Plan opportunities which encourage children’s expressive art and design.

I will ensure that there are enough resources that grant a variety of sensory experiences

including time and space when planning so that children can exploit the materials and be

creative. I also plan some opportunities for children to have time to observe and appreciate

the natural world. I am also very sensitive to the needs of each child who require my support

to express preferences for materials and methods in which they want to be creative. I make

sure I document the process that children employ to create their work enabling them to recall

and share what they did and what they found entertaining.

7.2. Lead opportunities which encourage children’s expressive art and design.
I will engage children in various art and design activities. To begin with, I will engage

children in mark-making and patterns. I design these activities to encourage children to put

their mark on creative work using inspiring materials and play. I also introduce children to

create colorful collages with a range of resources including colored paper, glue, wire, thread,

and recycled textiles. During rainy days, I engage children in baking, painting, and other

activities that involve arts and crafts to encourage their creativity. I also have to ensure that I

have enough sand or clay space to encourage design activities such as modeling. In addition,

I encourage candy rewards, and competition among children so that every child is motivated

with the task ahead.