Maddy Keokhamdy

Professor Ward

ART 133 (05/06)

15 March 2018

Unit Paper #4

The big idea for unit for was play with the twenty-first century approaches being: choice-

based and learner-directed. Choice-based play is important in children and adult’s lives, but it is

especially crucial in a young child’s life. The seemingly insignificant play acts of children are

loaded with meaning. (Szekely, 2011). The types of play children can partake in are, but not

limited to are: playing with food, climbing and seeking new views, bouncing and exploring,

wanting to play both privately and cohesively, animating inanimate objects, wearing different

outfits, taking objects apart and fixing them, testing out spaces by crawling inside them, and

using basic supplies—such as water—to experiment with waves and other water-play activities.

Other supplies that are good for children to play with are: glue, tape, play-dough, aluminum foil,

and makeup. Studying and taking seriously children’s playful activities outside of school are

important in deciding on approaches in art teaching (Szekely, 2011). It’s significant to know that

children’s play is a means of investigating the world.

In my future classroom, I would give my elementary students the option of choice-based

play. My classroom would be set up with various stations that include costumes, toys, and maybe

something like pop-up tunnels or a tent like area that they could crawl inside. I would have a

play kitchen with kitchen accessories and play-dough for the children to make/create whatever

they wanted. I feel that choice-based play is essential for a child to experience what play is all

about. Without play, life would be boring. A world that understands and supports children’s play
is a world that is likely to be healthier, more vital, more alive and happier than a world without

play.

References

Szekely, G. (2011). Testing the world through play and art. In D. B. Jaquith & N. E. Hathaway

(Eds.), The learner directed classroom: Developing creative thinking skills through art

(pp. 64-76). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.