NCI Courses

This section focuses on types of play such as physical, symbolic and pretend play, play with objects, games with rules, and risky play. They will be explored in relation to supporting children’s holistic development. Holistic development areas could include cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language development and other areas such as self-regulation, positive learning dispositions or other areas identified within the National Curriculum Framework Aistear.

Building on Week 1 ideas on the decline of play (Peter Gray) and nature deficit (Louv) will be introduced here to strengthen students’ understanding of the importance of providing play opportunities in the indoors and outdoors. Ideas on the therapeutic nature of play in supporting wellbeing for example sensory play and Sand Play Therapy (Lowenfeld’s ‘Wonder Box’).

This section will also Identify characteristics of play and playful behaviours such as intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, being process orientated and non-literality. Students will examine how more playful experiences beneficially support children’s learning and development, and will explore how they can be supported through the creation of playful learning environments in both the indoors and outdoors.

This section focuses on exploring the historical contexts of play, including the discovery of childhood as a way to understand how perspectives on play involve different theories and values on the role of play in a child’s life. Examples can include the role of play in supporting learning using play-like activities versus play being innate and led by the child (play for play’s sake). Historical and theoretical perspectives could include: Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Piaget, Vygotsky, Montessori, Froebel, Steiner, and Malaguzzi.

Investigation of how the roles of play have influenced different pedagogies, including pedagogy of play and how it facilitates the child’s learning through play.

Further investigation and debate of how the roles of play have influenced different pedagogies, including pedagogy of play and how it facilitates the child’s learning through play.

This section focuses on identifying characteristics of creativity in young children such as exploration & experimentation, using language & play to make sense of their world, deep concentration as well as doing something new with things that are familiar. Links could include: theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky, Hutt’s ideas on the distinction between exploration and play.

Students will examine how these experiences support children’s learning and development, and how they can be supported through the creation of creative learning environments in both the indoors and outdoors. Links could include: Malaguzzi and the Reggio Emelia approach, Loose parts theory and open ended materials.

This section focuses on an understanding of the child’s inner drive to discover and explore, and how this supports their creativity. The adult’s role will be considered in relation to facilitating opportunities for imagination, possibility thinking, critical thinking, co-constructing, meaning-making through a range of playful structured activities, guided play and free play.

This section focuses on an understanding of a child’s right to play, making links to the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) and The Lundy Model.

This section focuses on the National Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Charter and Guidelines (including Derman-Sparks anti-bias goals). This section will also examine inclusive play opportunities that encourage active participation and develop children’s social competence.

This section will include an exploration of a rights based approach to play, which includes seeing the child as a protagonist; a confident and competent learner capable of making decisions and directing their own learning, as suggested by Malaguzzi. A rights based approach will be examined in relation to how it encourages the celebration of difference in relation to children’s cultural and creative and diverse contexts, and focuses on the adult’s role in valuing children’s expression and supports this in a variety of creative ways such as: mark making, music & movement and storytelling, as suggested by Malaguzzi’s one hundred languages of children.