TOPIC 5

ORCHESTRATING PLAY: SETTING

THE TAGE
MISS ERNAH SUKARMAN
 Table of
Contents.
01 | 02 | 03 |

PRINCIPLES GUIDING SETTING THE STAGE PLAY IN THE

PLAY OR PLAY CURRICULUM
ORCHESTRATION.
INTRODUCTI
ON
For a play curriculum to be effective, the teacher
must orchestrate the dynamic flow of its elements
by matching 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
a whole.

knowledge and understanding of development and
learning with practical strategies for supporting
play in settings for young children.
01
PRINCIPLES GUIDING
PLAY
ORCHESTRATION
 Taking the
child’s view

Principles
Being a stage guiding play Being a keen
manager orchestrating observer

Seeing meaning
as it is
constructed
 how teachers can support
play
1.Taking the child’s view

Involves the teacher taking the child’s
view of experiences and materials in the
classroom.

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.
uses observational strategies when working
with a small group of children on a focused
activity.
 4.Being a stage manager

T h e t e a c h e r ’s s k i l l i n o r g a n i z i n g t h e
environment.
3.Seeing meaning as it is constructed
The teacher plans experiences or projects for
The sensitive teacher recognizes that
childre n, ant icipat ing ne e de d spat ial
children construct meaning or their own
arrangements, basic materials, accessories
understanding through many aspects of
and time frames to enable children to construct
their experience.
knowledge through their play.
By obse r v i ng chi l dre n’s pl ay e na bl e s
In t his role , t he t e ache r suppor t s play by
teachers to intervene skilfully in ways that
indirectly orchestrating both the social and
fall along a continuum of subtle to active
e col og i ca l ( or p h ys i ca l ) a s p e ct s of t h e
participation in play.
environment including the amount of time for
children’s self-directed play.
 Setting the stage
INDIRECT Physical space
Accessories
Daily schedule CONTINUUM OF
Curriculum
STAGE AND SPACE
extension
SETTING FOR PLAY
Guided Play
Peacemaker
Guardian of the gate
Parallel player
Participant
Spectator
Matchmaker
DIRECT Story player
Play tutor
02
SETTING THE STAGE
FOR PLAY
1. Preparing the physical stage:
i)Teachers should consider both units the spaces arranged for children’s play and the
surrounding space the area around a unit needed for people to move about.

ii)Space generally shapes the flow of play and communication in the classroom or
outdoors to support play-centred curriculum.

iii)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 behaviour for children
 Characteristic in preparing the physical space for
play
Adapting spaces for children Path and boundaries Quiet and noisy areas
with special needs

Soft spaces (privacy area) Outdoor play spaces Accessories for play

Play materials for children with Play materials that offer

special needs alternatives
 Play safety and Planning the daily
schedule
Play safety Planning the daily schedule
 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
 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.
03
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 she/he suspect will create a match with children’s spontaneous interest.

 Play-Centered Curriculum Addresses Experiences from a Variety of Cultures

 Integrating Academic Standards.

Thank you!