FEBRUARY 25, 2024 – SESSION 5
children, anticipating needed spatial
LESSON 5 – ORCHESTRATING CHILDREN’S
PLAY: SETTING THE STAGE
Principles of Guiding Play Orchestration
For a play curriculum to be effective, the
teacher must orchestrate the dynamic flow of
its elements by matching the play to the child’s
developmental level and by providing
opportunities for stretch and growth to occur for
each child and for the group as whole. Knowledge
and understanding of development and learning
with practical strategies for supporting play in
settings for young children are needed.
How teachers can support play?
1. Taking the child’s view
It involves the teacher taking the child’s view of
experiences and materials in the classroom.
It also involves understanding the individual
development of each child and the cultural
context in which development occurs.
2. Being a keen observer
The teacher’s observation skills are supported
by planning specific times to circulate through
the classroom, and observe for a longer period
in a specific area of the indoor or outdoor
classroom.
It uses observational strategies when working
with a small group of children on a focused activity.
3. Seeing meaning as it is constructed
The sensitive teacher recognizes that children
construct meaning or their own understanding
through many aspects of their experience.
By observing children’s play enables teachers
to intervene skillfully in ways that fall along a
continuum of subtle to active participation in
play.
4. Being a stage manager
It refers to the teacher’s skill in organizing the
environment.
The teacher plans experiences or projects for
arrangements, basic materials, accessories and
time frames to enable children to construct
knowledge through their play.
In this role, the teacher supports play by
indirectly orchestrating both the social and
ecological (or physical) aspects of the
environment including the amount of time for a
child’s self-directed play.
A Continuum of Play Orchestration
Setting the Stage for Play
1. Preparing the physical stage
 Teachers should consider both units and
the spaced arranged for children’s play and
the surrounding space the area around a
unit needed for people to move about/
 Space generally shapes the flow of play and
communication in the classroom or
outdoors to support play-centered
curriculum.
 Researcher on children’s play environments
indicates that between 30 and 50 square
feet of usable space per child. Spaces less
than 25 square feet per child may lead to
increases in aggression and unfocused
behavior for children.
2. Characteristics in Preparing the Physical
Space for Play
 Adapting spaces for children with special
needs
 Path and boundaries
 Quiet and noisy areas
 Soft spaces (privacy area)
 Outdoor play spaces
 Accessories for play
 Play materials for children with special
needs
  Play materials that offer alternatives

3. Play Safety
 One of the most important issues related to
play environments for young children
involves the safety of toys and play
environments.
 Teachers must be knowledgeable and
observant.

4. Planning the Daily Schedule

 The daily schedule is an effective way to
verify how much actual time is being made
available for children’s play.
 Scheduling included not only of the
classroom but also how much time is
allotted for playful purposes.

Play in Curriculum

The extension for play in the curriculum

Play-generated Curriculum
- Curriculum that emerges directly from the
interests of the children draws on
teacher’s observations of children’s
interests and themes in their play to provide
opportunities to extend and elaborate on
their learning.

Curriculum-generated Play
- Involves a more direct role for the
teacher. A teacher’s observation of
children’s play leads her/him to include
materials or techniques that he/she suspect
will create a match with children’s
spontaneous interest.

Note:
- Play centered curriculum addresses
experiences from a variety of cultures
- Integrating academic standards is a must.