Children are always learning!

Many parents see their child playing with a toy or two and shake your head because that's all you see - your child playing. They're not learning anything!Well, let me tell you right now, they are. As the title of this blog suggests, children are learning, no matter what they're doing.
Many games, if not all, improve on many developmental skills.

I am going to give you some examples of play and what developmental skills they're improving through that play.
These developmental skills are based on the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, which all carers and child care centres are required to follow.
You can download the PDF versions of both Frameworks by following the links.

~ Dolls (Home Corner)

Role Play - they're making voices for the doll, and the doll's alive for them;
Communication - They're speaking and always improving their language skills;
Community - They're learning about different races, especially if you have some dolls with more than one colour (black, brown and white) - you also have to encourage it by informing them about their races;
Wellbeing - Their needs are being met by the game -eg affection.
Palma grasp - they're holding the doll(s) in their hand(s);
Cognitive - "Cognitive" means thinking, and they have to use their minds to think of the words and to think of the story behind their role play.
Reflexivity - They're learning of the ways of the world through their game/dolls. Eg. "This is Molly, she's the mother of Jenny, and as the mother, Jenny has to work and get food for Jenny."
Sensory - They can see and touch the doll, they can smell the doll. They can also taste the doll. Ask them how it tastes (it doesn't matter on their language skill to just ask, but it does if you're expecting an answer.)

If they're playing with another sibling, and actually negotiate their roles etc, they're showing that they're connected with and contribute to their world (Outcome 2, EYLF - Belonging, Being and Becoming)

As the parent, you're the role model for your child, so your child's most going to model the game around you. Loosely, though, as they grow and learn.

~ "Duck, Duck, Goose"

Learning - They're learning about fairness, their language, gross motor and their cognitive skills
Communication - They're using their language and communication of who's in, and who's "goose";
Community - They're playful towards others;
Wellbeing & Identity - Hopefully they're enjoying the activity and they're sharing that with their peers;
Cognitive - They need to think about how to move their limbs, who they're going to "goose" and where they're going to run;
Gross motor - They are running around and tipping one another;
Sensory - They can see each other and their surroundings, they can feel the grass, dirt and/or concrete underneath their feet, and they can feel one another when they "goose" the other person.

~ Dress Up

Learning - They're learning about new characters, colours, and improving their language;
Role Play - They are pretending to be different characters, and when you call them over by their actual names they'll tell you that they're their characters name. Eg. Parent/teacher: "Michael, it's time for lunch." Michael: "I'm not Michael; I'm Spiderman!"
Exploring - They're exploring new characters, accents/voices, tones, textures and surroundings;
Communication - They can communicate to you or to their peers who they're dressing up as, or who they are at that moment. They can also communicate the dialogue associated to that character.
Wellbeing & Identity - They are enjoying the activity (if their sibling or peer isn't forcing them to partake) and they develop their own identity and their characters;
Community - They may be pretending to be Indians, so they're learning (remember that word) about that culture. They may also be playing in a group, so it's social;
Cognitive - They have to think about their language (words they use, how they use them), what their next action is going to be, and who they are etc.
Sensory - They listen to peers who are playing the game and also to adults to hear how pretty they are, etc.;
Gross Motor - They may be running or dancing, or even walking;
Fine Motor - They'll be using their fingers to put on and remove their clothing, and lifting other things.

~ "What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?"

Learning - They are learning their mathematics - how to both count and tell him;
Role play - Someone's the wolf and has to count, and the others are the "meal";
Communication (language) - They need to communicate, which can be verbal or non verbal, to tell them what "time" it is;
Cognitive - The "wolf" has to think about what time it's going to be, depending on how close he or she thinks his or her friends are, and the peers have to think about how many steps they need to take;
Gross motor - They need to use their big muscles in their legs to walk and run;
Wellbeing and Identity - They're sharing their emotions;
Sensory - They're using their ears to hear what time is it, and to hear "what's the time, Mr. Wolf?"

~ "5 Little Ducks" and "Five Speckled Frogs"

Learning - They're learning to recognise animals like ducks and frogs. They're also learning and improving their mathematical skills. You can also teach them their colours via the song, by asking them what colour the ducks are, and if they're multiple colours, then ask them what individual colours they are (the toy animals don't have to be the correct colours) and the same with the frogs.
Communication - They sing the song along with you, or to themselves, therefore improving their language skills;
Cognitive - They need to think about and remember the words, think about what happens next, and how many ducks go away and how many come back (if they're around 1 year old they'll starting to sing along with you (babbling) and thinking of how to move);
Wellbeing & Identity - They're showing and sharing with you their emotions (happiness, or maybe they're unhappy because they don't like it).
Sensory - They can hear the song, and if you're using toy ducks, they can also see, touch and taste it (if they're still at that stage of putting anything in their mouths - they won't likely be singing it, or that well, if they're still at the developmental stage of putting anything and everything in their mouths, but they can still share their emotions with you and babble along.)

~ Sorting shapes

Learning - They're learning to put shapes into different holes, sort them into groups dependent on colour, size and shape, and how many holes a button has (mathematical) etc.;
Cognitive - They're using their brains to see what shape, colour, size and/or how many holes something has. They're also using their brains as to see what goes where. Don't worry if your child doesn't appear to be getting it right straight away and is determined to get a square into a circular hole - they may know that and where it appropriately goes, but are just determined to try every way humanly possible before moving on. They're the ones who grow up to have heaps of patience and are determined to do something, and someone you can depend on to get the job done.
Communication - It may just seem like babble to use, but they're actually speaking, but too fast for us to understand. They'll be talking about what shape, colour, size and how many holes something has, and be talking use through their process;
Wellbeing & Identity - They're enjoying an activity and they're sharing it with you, and their process of doing something may be different than someone else's, but they get the same result. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.
Sensory - They are feeling the different shapes as well as seeing them. They can also hear the sound they make when the shapes are touching other objects.
Fine Motor - They're using their fine motor (mainly the tips of their fingers) to grasp the shapes and sort them.

~ Digging holes in the sandpit

Learning - They're learning what you can do with the sand, and what happens when you dig (cause and effect);
Communication - They're talking with you or their peers about what they're finding etc.;
Community - They're playing with other people;
Exploring - They're exploring their surroundings and new ways to do things;
Wellbeing - They're needs for adventure and learning are being met;
Sensory - They're able to feel both the shovel/spade, bucket and sand as well as see and hear it;
Gross Motor - They're using their big muscles to dig the sand;
Palmer Grasp - They're gripping the spade in one or both hands and/or the bucket in the other, and tipping the bucket filled with sand over (if making sand castles).

You can add things to the sandpit and do so much. You can put in a wooden or plastic stove and fridge, and they can make mud cakes, sand tea etc.; you can teach them about maths with a cup - "how many cups is that?" You can teach them about different bugs or bark; you can take a magnifying glass and they can look closely at the sand or other things; you can "bury" one another in the sand. All those activities, and more, involve those developmental skills, and you can do nearly all of those with any age group. You make the activities more difficult as they grow up and the developmental skills advance.

• When a child does an artwork, praise, or acknowledge, them instead of putting them down and telling them that it's wrong. That's they're artwork, not yours, and it doesn't have to be what we perceive to be correct.
• A child's writing will improve with age, and they'll learn to write their names the right way, instead of back to front by themselves.
• Write children's names on the back of the paper, as they'll paint over it to create their own artwork - you writing their names for them isn't their artwork. Once they reach 4 years of age, you can encourage them to write their own names - label everything and put a sign with their name on the door of their room - it promotes belonging and identity. Take it off, hand it to them and encourage them to copy their own names.
• When promoting creativity, put out blank paper, crayons, pencils and textas of a variety of colours, and see what they come up with using their imaginations, not colouring in a picture you've printed out or from some colouring book - that's not at all fun, and doesn't inspire them, but puts pressure on them.
  They might appear to do it at home, but encourage them to use their imaginations and be creative - they'll enjoy that much more.