Julia Gabriel
Preschool

At this stage of their development, children enjoy interacting with different materials and are interested in finding out how things work. Discovery Play encourages children to learn about the world around them in a safe and nurturing environment.

Children learn best when interacting with a variety of hands-on materials that encourage them to try things out and make discoveries. They also delight in experiencing cause-and-effect relationships. Teachers facilitate this exploration by providing the children with engaging and open-ended materials. They also model language, introduce vocabulary, and encourage interaction and conversations during play. As the children make new discoveries, teachers facilitate their play through asking questions, talking through processes and providing options for them to explore an idea further. Through careful observations, teachers can discover the strengths and interests of each child. This will in turn allow them to plan for different experiences in order to scaffold their learning.