Support children’s participation in a planned play opportunity

Qualification: Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 3.2: Plan, lead and review play opportunities which support children’s learning and development in relation to current frameworks
Learning outcome: 2 Be able to lead and support play opportunities
Assessment criteria: 2.2 Support children’s participation in a planned play opportunity

During a planned play opportunity, you should ensure that each child is supported to participate
In adult-led play, the adult should support children to learn new skills and explore new ideas
In child-initiated play, adults should not try to enforce their own ideas into the play but make suggestions or provide additional resources (after careful observation) to enrich their play
Some children may need more support than others – with older children, you can also encourage peer support, whereby a child that has experience of the activity shows a less-experienced child how to do it
You should be aware of children that seem unable or unwilling to participate and support them be included
You should also ensure that each child is empowered to make their own choices about how they participate