Joyce A. Hemphill, Ph.D.
rosen.hemphill@gmail.com
Make + Play = Learn
Raising Student Achievement
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Room: Broadway B; 10:45-11:45
Pheasant Run
St. Charles, Illinois
TYPES OF PLAY
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Onlooker
Solitary
Parallel
Associative
Cooperative/Collaborative
Social
Symbolic/Dramatic
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Socio-Dramatic
Imaginary/Make Believe/Fantasy
Imitative
Functional/Practice
Sensorimotor
Games
Motor/Physical
BENEFITS OF PLAY
Language Development
 Communication skills
 Vocabulary
 Body language
 Storytelling
 Emergent literacy
Emotional Development
 Attachment
 Self-confidence
 Self-esteem
 Emotion knowledge
 Autonomy
Attention Development
 Concentration
 Persistence
 Attention regulation
o Sustained attention
o Selective attention
o Cognitive inhibition
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Risk-taking
Mood elevation
Anxiety reduction
o Coping with change
Therapeutic effects
Cognitive Development
 Creativity
 Curiosity
o Exploration
o Discovery
 Abstract thinking
 Imagination
 Problem-solving
o Strategy development
o Strategy testing
o Decision making
 Spatial relationships
 Social cognition
o Perspective-taking
Social Development
 Cooperation
 Sharing
 Turn-taking
 Empathy
 Conflict resolution
 Understanding boundaries
 Leadership skill development
 Control of impulses and
aggressive behavior
Gross Motor Development
 Locomotor and gross motor skills
 Eye-foot coordination
 Movement control
 Increased flexibility and balancing
 Muscle strength
 Balance
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Mastering new concepts
Goal Setting
Planning
Memorization
Categorization
o Compare and Contrast
Understanding of rules and
objectives
Intelligence
Understanding the self
o Strengths and
weaknesses
Exploration of social roles
o Gender
o Adult
o Parent
o Student
Learning of cultural rules
Exploration of the “World of
Work”
Cardio-vascular fitness
Cardio-respiratory endurance
Fat reduction
Body temperature regulation
Neurological development
Fine Motor Development
 Hand-eye coordination
 Manipulation and fine motor skills
Academic Skills
 Provides a meaningful context for children to learn concepts and skills
 Provides a meaningful context for children to apply concepts and skills
 Encourages children to explore and discover
 Allows children to expand on what they are learning
 Encourages children to experiment and take risks
 Provides opportunities for collaborative learning with adults and peers
 Word/Number/Shape recognition
What is in my stash?
Recyclables:
 Bottle caps
 Boxes
o Cereal, cracker,
granola/breakfast bar
o Lasagna noodle
o Shoe
o Tissue
o Toothpaste
 Buttons
 Calendars
 CDs
 Fabric sample books
 Greeting cards & postcards
 Individual serving plastic cups
 Newspaper
 Oatmeal tubs
 Paper bags
 Paper tubes, various lengths
 Plastic bottles with lids, various
sizes
Low-Cost Materials
 Aluminum foil
 Balloons
 Bamboo skewers (round)
 Chenilles or Pipe Cleaners
 Chopsticks
 Craft sticks
 Giggle eyes
 Glue
 Magazines
 Needle-nose pliers
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Plastic buckets
Plastic coat hangers from retail
stores
Plastic containers with lids,
various sizes
Plastic jugs
Plastic shopping bags
Socks
Soft plastic caps from jugs
Spools
“Stuff”
Foam egg cartons ONLY*
Foam trays*
Tins with lids
o Altoid tins
o Cookie tins
T-shirts
Upholstery foam
Upholstery sample books
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Paint stirs/paddles
Paper clips
Rocks
Rubber bands
Scissors
Straws
String
Tape
Wooden beads
Yarn
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* Be sure to properly clean the recyclables using warm water and antibacterial soap. In addition
to washing, wipe foam trays and egg cartons with a commercial bleach cleansing cloth or with a
bleach solution of one tablespoon of bleach per quart of water.
NOTE ON SAFETY
Most of the materials listed are household recyclables. Be sure to properly clean the
recyclables using warm water and antibacterial soap. In addition to washing, wipe foam
egg cartons with a commercial bleach cleansing cloth or with a bleach solution of one
tablespoon of bleach per quart of water.
Check all recyclable materials for sharp edges. Those pieces with sharp edges go
directly into the recycle bin. Relatedly, some activities require punching holes with a
bamboo skewer or sharpened pencil. This should be done with extreme caution. Never
set an object in your lap or hold with the other hand when puncturing. Injury can result.
Instead, always use a flat surface and place a layer of protection, such as a folded cloth
or thick, flat eraser between the surface and the object being punctured. Please be
aware that extra supervision and/or assistance may be required for this task.
Many of the games and activities contain small pieces, which are a choking hazard to
young children, especially those under the age of 3 years old. Please keep these
pieces, along with all small objects out of reach. A toilet paper tube can serve as a
choke tube tester. If the item can easily fit into the tube, it is unsafe to give a young
child. Also note that an inflated balloon is not a safe item for a young child; even though
it cannot fit into a choke tube tester, a popped or deflated balloon can.
Lastly, when selecting recyclable materials, be mindful that some may cause an allergic
reaction. Plastic containers that held peanut butter or nut butter should not be used.
Caution should also be used with latex materials, such as balloons.
These and other playing from scratch
games are featured in The Power of
Playful Learning: the Green Edition
(2014) by J. A. Hemphill, L. Scheinholtz,
and H. Von Bank. Maupin House Press.
Sources:
Brown, S. (2010) Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates
the soul. Avery: New York, NY
http://www.btha.co.uk/consumers/template.php?id=169
Frost, J., Wortham, S., & Reifel, S. (2008) Play and Child Development Ed. 3. Pearson:
Upper Saddle River, NJ
Hughes, F. (2010) Children, Play, and Development Ed.4. Sage: Thousand Oaks CA.
Johnson, J.E., Christine F., and Wardle, F. (2005) Play, Development, and Early
Education. Pearson: Boston, MA
http://udel.edu/~roberta/play/benefits.html