EACHING

LAYING

EARNING

Welcome to TLP!

INFORMATION@TERRISLITTLEPUMPKINS.COM

Teaching children the skills of play. Play is a mode of response to experiences that can and should be taught in early childhood education.

At Terri's Little Pumpkins teachers support play by providing a variety of things to do, observing what unfolds, and staying nearby to help as needed and to acknowledge children's actions and words.

Terri's Little Pumpkins teaches young children to play by providing them with space, time, and materials; offering them support in problem solving; presenting new problems for them to solve; paying attention to their spontaneous interests; and valuing their eagerness to learn about the world in which we all live together.

Learning through play supports development and understanding! Enrichment and growth naturally evolve from playing as children learn about themselves and their surroundings. A child's active participation in his or her world facilitates mastery and control, leading to feelings of competence and self-efficacy. Play lets children make important discoveries about the self-including their own likes and dislikes. They learn to understand the feelings of others and develop empathy. These skills are crucial for healthy peer relationships.

Play experiences are key to children forming early understandings about the natural world, mathematical and early literacy ideas, and social competence. Play is practice in choosing, doing, and problem solving. When children play, they are thinking, innovating, negotiating, and taking risks. They create make believe events and practice physical, social, and cognitive skills as they engage in these events as if they were real.