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Kenley Cribb

Coastal Carolina University

EDEC 300

Dr. Hopper

7 February 2020
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Summary

Within the article, Assessing and Scaffolding Make- Believe Play, a scenario of make-

believe play is introduced in an Early Childhood classroom. The teacher sets up the scenario to

resemble an airport and gives students roles of employees, who work in the airport. Literacy,

math, science, and social studies are introduced through the lens of a public airport.

Research studies have found that when educators intervene in play, they aid children’s

learning significantly. Therefore, educators must provide ample time for Make-Believe play.

Play is such a valuable part of children’s day; it has been found that children learn more through

guided play activities. It was discovered that children have a better understanding of literary

concepts due to the language development used during teacher guided play.

It is important that children be taught to play, it is not a skill they are automatically born

with. Parents need to interact with their children, playing peek-a-boo and other traditional forms

of play. In the age of smart devices, children are often not taught how to pretend. Vygotsky

expressed that children learn most through play and this skill of playing make-believe is most

prevalent in the preschool years. It is the goal of educators and parents to have their children be

people oriented instead of material oriented or toy oriented. Children to have vivid imaginations,

where no matter the tools they have, they can pretend anywhere. In a tech savvy world, it is our

hope that children will still pick up a stick and pretend it is a magic wand.

The acronym PRoPELS stands for plan, roles, props, extended, language, and scenario.

The series of words are the main components of assessment and scaffolding, involving play.

Children should be able to plan play before it begins, be able to play a role, use symbolism to

bring props to life, play for extended periods of time, develop language that matches the
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scenario, and the scenario is what the children are pretending to do. As children grow, they are

able to engage in more sophisticated, mature, forms of play.

Up until recently, many educators and researchers believed that play was only beneficial

for special education students, to express themselves. However, play is now viewed as an

essential learning tool, for all students. While play is valued more in Early Childhood education,

make-believe is one of the greatest tools to use to engage any age student and helps them learn.

For example, high school students could be asked to act out the story, Beowulf, using the

vocabulary from the story. Students could then be asked to describe character traits of the

characters.

Learning to play is different in a school setting than at home. At home, in neighborhoods,

children often interact with a variety of age groups, which is beneficial. When smaller children

interact with older ones, they are able to learn from them and understand new types of play.

However, in traditional classrooms, children are often grouped by age. At home, play can last all

day. However, at school play rarely goes past two hours, therefore, teacher scaffolding is

essential to the time the students do have. The first step in scaffolding play is assessing where

students currently are in their ability to play.

Elkonin expressed that planning was a sign of mature play because children often assign

roles beforehand. Play is more significant when everyone has a role, knows the setting, and is

able to contribute to the story being acted out. Play helps students develop manners and helps

them work on conflict resolution. The educator’s role in scaffolding play often includes cause

and effect, “What happens if ___ happens?” Educators often introduce unconventional props to

students to help them use their imaginations. It is also the educator’s job to help establish

meaningful scenarios or theme for play.

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Meaningful play is not established overnight, educators should strive to create play

opportunities that are beneficial to student learning. Make-believe play can be enhanced through

scaffolding.

This article impacts my teaching philosophy because it affirms my ideas about play in the

classroom. I have always felt that play is an essential part of the early childhood curriculum. I

have strong opinions about children using their imaginations, especially in the era of smart

devices. I also believe in nurturing the child and helping them learn through scaffolding play.

Make-believe scenarios and thematic plans are beneficial to the learning process. I have always

believed that Early Childhood educators must have vast imaginations and be the best at playing.

This article impacted my future instructional decisions because it helped me realize the

importance of making time for play. In most Early Childhood classrooms there is not a lot of

time for play, however, we have to make time for something so influential to increasing

cognitive development. I also plan to use more thematic lessons and set scenarios for multiple

weeks. I hope to meet the standards through integrating subjects into curriculum, through play

scenarios.

I would like to know more about play scenarios that open opportunities for meaningful

play. I would also like to watch an educator successfully create a scenario where students

effectively learn through play. I also would like to know how to scaffold and direct play without

taking the fun out of it. There are many interesting topics that arise from this article such as, the

benefits of neighborhood and at home make-believe play experiences.

Reference
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Leong, D. J., & Bodrova, E. (2012). Make-believe play. Young Children, 28-34.