Self-Directed play is a time for children to learn, explore and make sense of the environment and world around them. Children can create a safe environment in order to explore and test their potential and it is one of the most effective ways for them to gain confidence in their own choices and abilities. It's safe to say, self-directed play is a very good thing, and we as educators should be encouraging it.
It is all too common for an assumption to be made that a child with an additional need needs to be constantly taught the 'right' way of doing something or learning something over and over like a drill. It is an approach that assumes the child is empty and we need to fill them with knowledge. But if we don't fully understand their world and their perceptions, how can we be sure our corrections and teachings are indeed helpful?
Self-directed play for a child with an additional need doesn’t require us to do anything different than for children without an additional need. We just need to provide a safe environment and to show them that they are curious and competent learners and that we have faith in their abilities.
Some reflective questions we can ask ourselves in our daily practice and before jumping in and 'helping':
- Why is the child playing that way?
- Does it make sense to them?
- Does it always have to make sense to us as adults and educators?
- Is the child happy and engaged?
- Do I need to intervene here?
- How can I use this experience to build upon this child's confidence?
