It has been a very ‘interesting’ start to Term 2.  Just to let you I am back on deck and feeling so much better. Many thanks for the best wishes and warm fuzzies!

Learning through Play

Last weekend, Rachael and I attended a professional development session around the power of play in a learning environment.  In Room 1 we are already exploring how we, as the adults, can alter the way we set up the learning space to ensure the transition to school is a success and to celebrate the skills and knowledge the children already have. What this looks like further up the school is also an exciting possibility.

The course run through Longworth Education shared some interesting information on the link between Decreased Play Opportunities and the Rise in Clinical Depression & Anxiety.

Clinical depression and anxiety is often linked to a person’s locus of control.  If a person has a strong internal locus of control, they feel more in control of their world and life’s ups and downs that come their way.  They are more resilient and can overcome hurdles and challenges more confidently.  If a person has a stronger ‘external’ locus of control, they feel that life’s ups and downs happen to them, and they have little (or at times no) control over the outcomes.  

Play provides children with an opportunity to develop a stronger internal locus of control, as they are exposed to a variety of social situations, problems etc - this allows them to feel confident that they have the ability to overcome and ‘problem-solve’.  For children to be resilient to life’s ups and downs, they need to be confident in their own ability to manage these - rather than relying on others to fix things for them.    - Deb