eNews
Contents:
INTRODUCTION
1.

Message from the MD

ETONHOUSE INTERNATIONALEDUCATION GROUP - NEWS & EVENTS
2.

MCYS Child Care Awards 20123.

Glimpses

4.

“Play” throughout the School Years

SINGAPORE
5.

Children’s Work is their Play
Perspectives on Play

6.

Mathematical Understandings
through Play
Discoveries

7.

The Learning Journey at Broadrick8.

Why do Children Value Play-based
Learning Experiences?
Play is the Doorway to Learning

9.

Play is a Child’s Work
They Play but do they Learn?

CHINA
10. Play to Learn, Learn to Play
Early Years Learning through Play
Philosophies
11. Play at the Forefront of Learning
Sensory Play
12. Learning through PlayCHINA/KOREA
13. Raise You Flag
Play in our Learning Community
JAPAN/INDIA
14. Play - a Process of Socialisation
and Development of Thinking
Learning during PlayMALAYSIA/INDONESIA
15. The Importance of ‘Open-ended’ PlayThe Significance of Play

Newsletter • 3 - 2012

Message from the MD
Play is definitely in the news again. The Prime
Minister of Singapore Mr. Lee Hsien Loongannounced at the recent National Day rally
speech that children should play more. He addedthat bringing the Primary 1 curriculum into thekindergarten classroom is not ideal for children
and their learning journey. A recent report by Alison
Gopnik, a leading thinker in early childhood further
validates the significance of play in early childhood.
In her article Gopnik suggests that babies andtoddlers learn in some of the same ways as
scientists.
“The way we determine how
they’re learning is that we givethem, say, a pattern of data,a pattern of probabilities or
statistics about the world andthen we see what they do,”Gopnik said in a summary
released by the National
Science Foundation. “We foundthat like scientists, they tested
hypotheses … and determinedwhich one was more likely.”Thisfindingis
indeedsignificant. It reinforces what
we have always believed
in, that children construct their own knowledge
through a process of active engagement withthe world around them. Play is therefore the only
natural way in which they learn. Why therefore do
we hear skeptics ask “Play is fine. But when do theylearn?” In 1995, when the first EtonHouse campus
commenced operation, we offered a curriculum
based on play and respect for children’s thinking
and their scientific process of learning. We had
plenty of people who could not fathom how thisform of learning was effective. But we stuck to ourconviction and understanding of early childhood
research and have over the years used that
understanding to develop exemplary programmes
for our children. This is proven by the outstandingachievements of our graduates, no matter where
they are in their learning journey. Be it taking up
leadership positions in their respective schools or
being accepted into prestigious universities aroundthe world such as Princeton, Oxford and Yale,

we are proud of what our children have achieved.
But most importantly, our graduates are happy andconfident individuals with a strong sense of social
responsibility and a deeply rooted love for learning.
It has been our mission over the past eighteen years
to strive for leadership and excellence in educational
practice. I am very happy to note that the recent
developments have proven just that. For the second
year in a row, our educators received the ‘Outstanding
Leader and Teacher’ awards at the MCYS ChildcareAwards, the highest honours in the profession.
EtonHouse Pre-School at 764 Mountbatten Road
also won an innovation grant for
their magnificent efforts in socialand environmental responsibility.
We are very proud of ourteaching and learning team forcontinuously striving towards
excellence in whatever they do.
I would like to take thisopportunity to congratulate all
the children who graduated fromour pre-schools this year. I wish
them a lifetime of happiness andsuccess and hope that they will
stay connected to EtonHousethrough the alumni.
This newsletter has a wonderful mix of articles thathighlight our philosophy on learning through play,learning through exploration in an environment that issafe, warm and full of possibilities. I hope you enjoy
this last edition of the 2012 corporate newsletter. I
thank you for your support during this year and wish
you a wonderful start to the New Year. I would liketo end with a quote from Carla Rinaldi that gives me
great hope and pride in our work with young children.
“Children teach us to wonder, to be surprised, toaccept possibility; to continue to believe that we canbe better, that democracy is possible, that peace ispossible.”Ng Gim Choo
Group Managing Director
EtonHouse International Education GroupTo be a member of the EtonHouse alumni, e-mail friends@etonhouse.edu.sg or find us on www.facebook.com/EtonHouseInternational-1-

E t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s

MCYS Child Care Awards 2012
Outstanding Early
Childhood Leader
Award 2012

Outstanding Early
Childhood TeacherAward 2012

Ms Emelia Prayogo, Pre-School Director at
EtonHouse Pre-School, Vanda and Director of
Pedagogy was awarded the Outstanding Early
Childhood Leader Award. Emelia started hercareer in EtonHouse in 2006 as a class teacher.
She went on to become a Pre-School Director
shortly after that and now has taken on the role of
Director of Pedagogy. Emelia is also the recipientof the MCYS 2012 Early Childhood Research
Fund (ECRF) for the research project title The
significance of reading aloud with young children
in supporting their early years literacy skills.

Samantha Morier, a kindergarten 2 teacher started
her career in early childhood with a certificate inpre-school teaching. Her passion and dedication tothis profession motivated her to pursue a Diploma
in Teaching and Leadership at the EtonHouse
Education Centre (EEC) and thereafter a Degreein Early Childhood from Roehampton University,offered in collaboration with the EEC. She started
her career as an assistant teacher at EtonHouse
Mountbatten 764 and now teaches there as classteacher.

The Early Childhood
Innovation Award 2012
The Green Team, also known as Xu Yu’E, Lim
Seh Lee, Samantha Morier, Meghana Bhaya,
Shoba Renganathan and Li Qingyu, teachers at
EtonHouse Pre-School, 764 Mountbatten wasawarded the Early Childhood Innovation Award(Silver) for their project ‘Educating for a Green
Mindset’. This award aims to recognise individuals
and teams who have endeavoured to innovate andimprove the existing programmes and services orprocesses to benefit children in the centres.

Healthy Eating in Child
Care Centre Award 2012
EtonHouse Outram, EtonHouse Broadrick and
EtonHouse 764 Mountbatten have achievedthe ‘Healthy Eating In Child Care Centre Award
2012’ as they have successfully created a healthy
environment with nutritious food available for thechildren while cultivating good eating habits froma young age. The Healthy Eating in Child Care
Centres Programme (HECCP) was introducedby the Health Promotion Board (HPB) in 2005 to
encourage and acknowledge child care centres
for providing healthier food and promoting healthyeating in their centres.

The Ministry of Community Development Youthand Sports (MCYS) Child Care Awards recognises
outstanding and exemplary contributions by earlychildhood professionals and practitioners towards
enhancing and making a difference to the lives ofchildren and their families.
The awards are also the highest national award forthe child care sector. Held in conjunction with theannual Child Care Seminar on 5 October 2012,
the event was a celebration of excellence in earlyyears practice within the Singaporean context.

L to R: Ms. Emilia Prayogo (Senior Pre-School Director,
EtonHouse Vanda), Mdm. Halimah Yacob (Minister ofState, MCYS), Mrs. Ng Gim Choo (Founder, EtonHouse),
Mr. Chan Chun Sing (Acting Minister, MCYS) and Ms.
Samantha Anne Morier (Educator, EtonHouse 764) at theawards ceremony.

EduTrust Certification
E t o n H o u s eInternational
School, Broadrickhas been granted
the
EduTrust
Provisional status
for achieving the required level of performance.
The conferring of this award reinforces theschool’s commitment towards making greater
improvements
inserviceprovisionandmanagement practice to achieve the higher levelsof EduTrust certification in the future.

EtonHouse Staff Day
EtonHouse Singapore celebrated its Staff Day at aparty organised at the Concorde Hotel on the 14th
September 2012. There was about 400 staff fromall campuses across Singapore who attended theevent and revelled in the success of EtonHouse
over the last 17 years. It was also an occasion
where the organisation congratulated a total of
44 staff members who had been with EtonHouse
for 5, 10 and 15 years and recognised theircontributions to the success of the Group.

L to R: Mr. Chao Tse Ann (Director, EtonHouse), Mr. Jimmy
Oh (Chairman, EtonHouse), Mrs. Betty Oh (Associate
Director, EtonHouse), Mrs. Ng Gim Choo (Founder andMD), Mr. Phua Hua Seng (Director, EtonHouse), Mr. Ben
Neu (Director, EtonHouse)

Hampton receives SPARK
Certification
Hampton, a PCF campus managed by EtonHouse
is now a SPARK (Singapore Pre-school
Accreditation Framework) certified centre. SPARK
is a quality assurance framework introduced by
the Ministry of Education to raise the quality ofpre-schools in Singapore. We are very proud of
the Hampton team under the leadership of Ms
Chia Bee Yong for this wonderful reinforcement of
its high standards of practice.

-2-

E t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s

Glimpses
EtonHouse Graduates in their cap andgowns at EtonHouse Newton
Scrolls for our graduates

A time to celebrate the completion of the wonderful pre-school years at EtonHouse
NewtonThe children with their pianicas at the graduation event at
EtonHouse Outram
EtonHouse Outram’s graduates and their teachers
Diwali Celebrations at Broadrick - The tenheaded Raavan took the princess Sita to his
kingdom of Lanka. (Year 3 students)

Diwali celebrations - the graceful Indian dance byJodie, Kiera, Naoko, Barabara Li, Shenaz, Pritika,
Catherine, Vinita, Niru, priyanka, Vibha and Atima at
EtonHouse Broadrick

Mrs. Ng with the dancers in Indian fineryThe Year 2 students of the Hindi class-Diwali
Celebrations at Broadrick

EtonHouse Staff Day
2012 - Chinese traditional
dance
performanceby the very talented
EtonHouse
Mandarin
staff

The beautiful andinnovative outdoor
learning space at
EtonHouse 764 an initiative of theGreen Team-3-

E t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s“Play” throughout the School Years
by John Cooley, Advisor, EtonHouse Group
This edition of the
EtonHouse Corporate
Newsletter provides
essential reading forparents on the subjectof “play” as a criticaldenominatorwithincontemporary
earlychildhoodsettings.
EtonHouse educators
haveprovidedaconsidered variety ofperspectives into thevalue of play and its educational/developmental
importance for children in their pre-schoolclassrooms. The examples given and researchcited reinforce the message of “play” as empiricallysensible and entirely logical – indisputablewisdom.

certainsubjectareas
traditionallyrecognised as nonacademic
such
as drama, music,
the visual arts andphysical
education.
However, these arealso the first set of
subjects
squeezedfrom choice once
students are seen
to be reaching the“serious” end of their studies – or are relegated tothe minor league of courses taken.
Therefore, with the acknowledgement that
schooling emphases will naturally evolve into

What is a natural extension to the logic of “play”
within the early years learning/developmental
process is the inclusion of a similar appreciationin later years’ educational environments. These
environments include primary, secondary andtertiary. While the changes in these subsequent
learning settings will be major, predominantly
through the emphasis upon delivery of anestablishednational/international
curriculum
content - and its moderation through an
examination system – does that necessitate
throwing out all that was treasured from earlychildhood “play-centred” understanding?
Unfortunately, the answer too frequently is “yes”.
The International Baccalaureate seeks to addressthese questions through its Learner Profile.
One of the ten profile attributes is that of being“balanced” – an attribute that questions thelearner’s approach to his/her focus upon theacademic, social, emotional, physical and spiritual
dimensions within daily life. However, as valuable
as this focus may
be, it still falls wellshort of any systemicemphasisuponextended periods ofplay so valued in theearly years.
Arguably,acontinuing
focus
upon play could be
reinforced througha more narrow academic focus as the student
moves through the education system, what
distilled essence from early years’ play should stillbe part of the classroom formula?
One conclusion possible is that with the eliminationof what could be termed “play”, thespotlight should fall upon classroom“playfulness”. In other words, while theconstructivist curriculum model may not
be attainable, the relationship between
educator and student, curriculum
delivery and curriculum reception,
occurs within a learning environmentthat has maximised the heartland
features of a play-centred setting.
These features should include asensitivity to each student’s learning
style, a personalisation of the curriculum-4-

so that time is given for individual understandingof new/challenging concepts and the teacher’s
student-centric reflection upon content delivery
and its take-up. What will also be of importancewill be classroom tone. Students need to feel thatthe classroom belongs to them, is their safe havenfor learning, and presents an atmosphere that is
engaging, respectful and supportive. As is all too
obvious, many of these attributes can be severely
lacking in post pre-school learning environments.
Also essential within a playful learning setting is
the teacher’s ability to provide subject material
in a manner that is richly diverse, interactive,
absorbing and creative.
The features already listed then have need of theaddition of one final essential ingredient - a senseof humour. Playfulness is starved of oxygen if thelightness of tone thata readiness to laughat the idiosyncrasies
of school life cannot
be part of each andeveryclassroom.
With the addition of
humour the teachingenvironment begins
to resemble manyof the factors taken
as given in an earlychildhood setting.
The challenges are
not insurmountable
for such advances
within learning environments throughout theeducation system. They simply require allteachers/administrators in the education system
to recognise what invaluable lessons can belearnt from the observation of “play” in the earlychildhood sector.

Eton Hou se in Singap oreChildren’s Work is Their Play
EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 717
by Charlotte Choy-Pre-School Director and Chan Siuwen, Fish Kok, June Loo & Renee Sim-Class Teachers
in multiple ways to develop theircreativity and problem-solving skills.

knowledge and providing exposure to ample
learning opportunities.

For example, the makeshift tent in
the garden can become a spaceshipor a cave. Children use their priorexperiences and competencies in
consolidating their knowledge of theworld. Children’s play reflects what
they know and can do.

We can enhance the children’s play experienceand make it a meaningful one by asking questions
that challenge the child’s theory or help facilitate
them in their thinking through prompts andguidance. It is through such interactions that we
find out more about what the children are thinking
and the meaning of what they are doing. Whenchildren play, they are learning.

Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory states that young
children enlist play as a mode of constructing andtesting their own theories about the world aroundthem (Vygotsky, 2002). However, play is only
beneficial to children’s learning when educarers
plan for ‘purposeful play’.

Play provides opportunities
children to learnsocial rules andbehaviour as they
form meaningful relationships
with the people around them.
It helps children manage andregulate their emotions in a safe
environment.

Creatingawell-orderedenvironment
communicates a sense of order and structure.
The provision of open ended materials helps toencourage children’s imaginative use of materials

Adults support and extend
children’s play experiences byinteracting meaningfully with thechildren, observing their interest,

for

Pretending to be on a rocking ship.

Perspectives on Play
EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 718
by Victoria Newman, Pre-School Director
Recently Channel News Asia
came to Etonhouse Mountbatten
718 to find out more about
our approach to teaching andlearning. In light of the recent
Government initiatives to improve
Early Childhood Education in
Singapore, we were delighted to
be asked to participate in ‘Talking
Point’. The footage showedchildren playing, exploring water,
moving rocks to create dams andrivers, children holding hands
and walking together, talking andlaughing.
An exploration inside one of theK1 classrooms showed imagination, creativity
and insight. Planning, research and collaboration
had taken place in order for the structures tohave been created. Children explained the datathat they had collected and graphs that they had
created. What the filming didn’t show were theconnections to language in theroom, the children‘s labelling andnaming of different plants they
had identified in the garden, thebooks they had been exploring
and the writing that had takenplace around what they had
discovered. Connected to theirinquiry throughout the room wasvisible evidence of mathematics,
number, data handling, andexploration of measurement.
Science was embedded in thegrowing of plants, their growthover time had
been recordedby the children
and their wonderings andtheories about plants had been
documented on the wall by theirteachers.
These

inquiriesaretaking-5-place throughout the school-rich learning, wherechildren’s connections are strong and meaningful.
Teacher learning proposals are intentional and are
constructed planning so that learning can move
forward in context with the current inquiries.
A play based curriculum works with the children’sinterests and moves them to new depths, withteachers supporting this learning. As facilitatorsof learning it is our role to pose good questions,to explore with children how they can find theanswers, to ensure that we stay true to theschools pedagogical beliefs and to curriculum
expectations.
“The wider the range of possibilities
we offer children, the more intense
will be their motivations and thericher their experiences’
Loris Malaguzzi “The wider the rangeof possibilities we offer children, themore intense will be their motivations
and the richer their experiences”

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Mathematical Understandings through Play
EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 764
by Samantha Morier, Class Teacher
Stegelin in the Hampshire Play Policy Forumstated that,
Play is an essential part of every child’s lifeand vital to his/her development. It is the way
children explore the world around them anddevelop practice skills. It is essential for physical,
emotional, and spiritual growth; for intellectual andeducational development and for acquiring social
and behavioural skills.
(2002:1 cited
2005:76-77)

inStegelin,

At EtonHouse 764, our K2
Dandelions were inquiring
about healthy eating. We visited
our very own school garden toextend our learning. We picked
limes from our lime tree and set

off to make fresh lime juice. Aspart of the process, we invitedthe children to use a measuring
cup to measure the ingredientsneeded. The children observed
the measuring cup and shared
their discovery of two different
units of measurement - mland cups.
We then invitedthechildrentoestimatehowmuchwater they needed to fill up the
beaker. The children shared
their predictions and recorded
them. Using their estimations,the children filled the beakerand calculated the total amountof water they used.
The

experience of making
our own lime juice
aimed at exposing
the children to unitsofmeasurementsthat can be used.
Throughfollowup
discussions
with
peers
and
supportmaterials,
thechildrendemonstrated theirmathematical understandings.
Reference: Stegeline, D. A. (2005, March).
Making the case for play policy: Research-based
reasons to support play-based environments.
Young children , 76-85.

Discoveries
EtonHouse @ Outram
by Yvonne Yu, Pre-School Director and Fadhlina & JiaNi, Class Teachers
Inquiry based teachingencourages children
to question and be
curious about theworld around them.
This curiosity thendrives the curriculum,
encourages researchand discoveries by thechildren. This practicetransforms the teacher
into a learner withchildrenandthechildrenbecometeachers with us.
N1 Bright Starters
journeyed on theirinquiry to find out if beans are living things or nonliving things. They were given the opportunity to
explore with four different types of beans, namely
red beans, green beans, black beans and black
eye beans.
Here are the voices of the children.

Yuma : ‘No! They are not moving!’
Carrie : ‘Yes! Living things!’
Ellie : ‘I don’t know.. Not living.’
With their curiosity spurred on, thechildren decided to plant them. The
beans sprouted and the children wereable to observe and document thechanges. To extend their knowledge,
the children explored plants growing
outdoors and found a plant with abrinjal.
This is a process of
exploration, or generating
hypotheses, predicting,observing and confirming
their findings. Here are
the voices of the children while they
concluded their observations.
Carrie :’The leaf has lots of lines(veins). The rain water goes into thelines.’-6-

Ryan : ‘Plants is living things … because cangrow.’
Ellie : ‘The leaf comes from trees. When the wind
blew, then the leaf drop. There is line here…andline here… The leaf that I pick up on the floor
is now non-living thing because it can’t moveanymore… or drink water… or put the water up.’Through the process of inquiry, individuals
construct much of their understanding of thenatural and the human world. It is not so muchabout finding the rightanswerbut
ratherseeking
appropriate
resolutions
toquestions and issues.
This disposition will
enable our children tocontinue their quest forknowledge throughoutlife.

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

The Learning Journey at Broadrick
EtonHouse @ Broadrick
by Atima Joshi, Vice-Principal/PYP Coordinator

A group of K-1 students are busy playing withmaterials of their choice in an outdoor area withthe teacher, when a tiny voice exclaims “OH NO!”
“What is the matter?” asks the teacher, sitting next
to the child, talking to him at his eye level.
“My chalk has fallen down the drain and I can’t see
them. I need to take them out- NOW. ” says theadamant voice.
The child peers down the drain to see if the chalkcan be spotted. Two of his classmates leave theirwater-play and join in the search.
“I wonder if you have any idea to get the chalk outof the drain!” challenges the teacher.
Little bright eyes ponder for a moment….. andthen sparkle. “I think we should make a fishing rod
to take the chalk out of the drain!”“I like the way you are using your thinking skills.
Do you want to try making that rod to take out the
chalk?”“Yes.” says the decisive voice. The little one
walks back purposefully to the classroom with theassistant teacher to gather materials to make thefishing rod. The classmates join in to help.
Play is engaging. Play is motivating. Play isserious business. Play poses serious problems
that need children to explore options in order tosolve them. By connecting prior knowledge tothe new experiences, children construct new
knowledge that helps them make sense of theworld around them.
Play-based learning
helps children explore
theirenvironmentata
comfortable,
non-threatening,
individual pace. It
helps children develop
their social skills as
they cooperate in theirsearch for solutions.
When the K-1 students
make a choice ofplay materials, they develop their confidence
and independent decision-making skills. As thechildren engage in ‘playing’ with chalk on the
ground, they develop their fine motor skills. The
child sees the chalk falling in the drain and using
her/his thinking skills, decides to make a fishingrod. S/he has made connections using her/his priorknowledge that a fishing rod can be used to pullthings out from water. A child will
explore and extend their thinking
and self-management skills as
they gather materials, make thefishing rod and experiment with it.
Children develop the foundationsfor ‘academic learning’, and honetheir emergent language andearly mathematical and scientificunderstandings through play.
The curriculum outcomes are
addressed as the child describes his situation andexplores solutions. The child learns to:• explore and describe position (above, under,
below, etc.)• display the ability to use specific facts, ideas,
and vocabulary• display confidence in investigating
experimenting to test own theories

and• describe observations about events and objects
in real-life situations• display ability in planning/designingorganising objects and processesand• develop a range of fine motor skills‘The Primary Years Programme (PYP): Making
it Happen’ document states that: “The PYP
curriculum model is dependent on our commitment
to a particular belief about how children learn,
encapsulated most clearly in the constructivist
approach.
Itisacknowledgedthatlearners have beliefs
about how the world
works based on theirexperiencesandprior learning. Thosebeliefs, models or
constructs are revisitedand revised in the lightof new experiences
and further learning.
As we strive to makemeaning of our lives and the world around us wetravel continually on the cyclic path of constructing,testing, and confirming or revising our personalmodels of how the world works.”
At Broadrick, teachers strive to scaffold eachchild’s learning journey not only in the Pre-School
but also in the Primary. An interesting conversation
ensued with the senior primary students during-7-

Do not…keep
children to
their studies
by compulsion
but by play.
Plato
Greek philosopher
427–347 BC
the IBPYP self-study process at Broadrick lastyear. As the children worked on IB Standards
on Assessments, Year 4 student Sean Inglin
commented that the school did not have any ‘real’
assessments as they were more of “fun tasks that
actually had some practical value”! What better
evidence could reflect the meaningful and relevant
Assessment practices at school?
The Year 1 children have designed their futuristictransport as a part of their summative assessment.
They are busy “vroooming” their cars testing their
hypothesis on the use of water as a fuel. The Year2’s have completed their inquiry on ‘Air’ and havemade machines to carry eggs safely to the groundas they’re launched from the second floor! Thereis enthusiasm, laughter, a sense of play and asense of inquiry as the machines are tested andscored for each child. A few broken eggs are morea source of amusement than disappointment.
Some children have reflected on their machine
blueprints and tried some more designs at home.
The Year 3 children, in groups of five, havedesigned edible biscuit buildings using chocolate
syrup glue to test their inquiry on building
structures. Each structure is unique and has
given an insight into the students’ perspectives
and knowledge. Each building is evidence ofcooperation and commitment along with social,communication and thinking skills. The learning
engagement has required the students to use theirknowledge of mathematics as they have workedon the concepts of area and volume along withheight, weight and balance. The buildings havebeen fun to construct and even more fun to eat!
The school views each child as a competentlearner who is able to construct new knowledge
within an educationally rich environment withteacher-scaffolded learning. The task to scaffold
each learning journey is certainly not “child’s play”
but the child’s play indeed provides meaning toeach one of the learning journeys at Broadrick.

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Why do Children value Play-based Learning Experiences?
EtonHouse @ Vanda
Emelia Prayogo, Pre-School Director

Thisnotionof“more play and lesshomework” is always
one of resonance. As
educators, we work
closely with parents,
theirchildren’s
first teachers, tobetteradvocate
the significance ofchildrenslearning
through play. Without a strong partnership
between home and pre-school, the efficacy of ourprogramme would be minimal.
Reciprocal communication between home and preschool allows us to build a shared understandingof how play-based learning experiences enable

children to make meaning
through the natural processof learning and development.
The interdisciplinary nature ofplay fosters children’s ability toholistically express identities,
communicate needs, validate
feelings,
andconstruct thinking
interchangeably.
A
four-yearold stacked up a few rectangularsized blocks as a tower as he wasconstructing his knowledge ofdimension, balance, trial and error,
and problem solving.

learning derived from play, we also understandthat there are times when play-based learning
experiences have been markedly reduced. A
hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, andincreased attention to academics and enrichment
activities at the expense of play-based learning
experiences are some of the reasons. I would
like to conclude our
dialogue with thispoint of reflection–
howshouldwe advocate thissignificanceinto
the wider context ofchildren’s lives?

However, despite the benefits ofPlay is the Doorway to Learning
EtonHouse @ Newton
by Tracey Boyle, Pre-School Director

Young children’s play allows them to explore,
identify, negotiate, take risks and create meaning.
The intellectual and cognitive benefits of playing
have been well documented. Children who
engage in quality play experiences are more likely
to have well-developed memory skills, language
development, and are able to regulate their
behaviour, leading to enhanced school adjustment
and academic learning (Bodrova & Leong, 2005).
One of the greatest benefits of play is to assist
with the development of social competence.
Children can build relationships, learn to resolve

conflicts, negotiate andregulate their behaviour.
In
play,childrenusually have increased
feelings of success andoptimism as they act astheir own agents andmake their own choices.
Playing is a known
stress release; it is often
linked to child wellbeing.
Playing is linked tothe development ofresilience and the beginningsof empathy as children begin tounderstand other points of view.
Play is simultaneously a sourceof relaxation and stimulation forthe brain and body. Play is often
described as a time when we feelmost alive, yet we often take it for
granted and may completely forget
about it. But play isn’t a luxury - it’sa necessity. Play is as important to-8-

our physical and mental health as getting enoughsleep, eating well, and exercising
Play connects us to others. It helps us to share thejoy, laughter, and fun with others. Play promotes
bonding and strengthens a sense of community.
We develop empathy, compassion, trust, and thecapacity for intimacy through regular play.
Play stimulates our imaginations, helping us
adapt and solve problems. Play arouses curiosity,
which leads to discovery and creativity. Many
components of play - curiosity, discovery, novelty,
risk-taking, trial and error, pretence, games, social
etiquette, and other increasingly
complex adaptive activities - are thesame as the components of learning.
Beyond all of these wonderfulreasons for playing, there is simply
the sheer joy and happiness of play.
Play makes us happy and should becelebrated from birth through to ouradult lives.

E ton Hou se in Singap ore

Play is a Child’s Work
EtonHouse @ Claymore
Lisa Hughes, Pre-School Director

Play in early childhood is the best foundation for success in school. Frobose.
J. 2008.

Play invites children tointeract with materials,
placesandthings.
Children are constantly
thinking and discoveringin these encounters.

Teachers ignite, extend and record the learning through play as accountable
and intentional educators. They plan for experiences and encountersconsidering open ended questions, social groupings and learning goals from
EtonHouse Inquire-Think-Learn framework.

Play supports our imageof the child as a social
being. We see children
developing theories andbuilding
knowledge,
skills and dispositions as
they explore with others.
Play honours children learning in a holistic way. Children do not divide theirthoughts into subjects and so our curriculum needs to be fluid and open
to integrated learning opportunities. For example an experience with paintmay support independence, fine motor skills, awareness of colours andcommunication skills as children paint to express an idea.

They Play but do they Learn?
EtonHouse @ Orchard
by Leanne Sunarya, Senior Pre-School Director
energising experience. In fact it is deeply involved with human development
and intelligence, and not just in children! He attests that;“We are built to play and built through play.
When we play we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity, thetruest expression of our individuality”.
At our recent Sundowners Curriculum Evening we explored this idea with ourparents and together discussed the power of play in the development of thechild’s understanding of the world and the development of their relationships
with people, places andmaterials.
Learningis the result of making
connections
betweenprior experiences andnew experiences anda child explores theseconnections when theyplay. We are certain a lotof learning is taking placeat Orchard because of thedepth of play the children
are engaging in every day.

This question is often asked of us by ourparents when we share about our playbased inquiry programme. I believe
the question stems from the adultperception of “play” - the thing we do in
our spare time when we are not working. At Orchard, we strongly believe that
this definition needs to be redefined. We recognise that play is the work ofchildhood and are inspired in our practice by the current data being exploredby researchers throughout the world. Dr Stuart Brown, a pioneer in the fieldof play, is finding through his research that play is more than a joyful and-9-E tonH ou se in China

Play to Learn, Learn to Play
EtonHouse @ Zhuhai, China
by Tim Pearson, English Language Teacher
Here at EtonHouse Zhuhai,
play is as important a partof any English learning
experience as the English
itself. Learning a new, foreign
language, is a daunting
prospect
for
even
the
most gifted of children, but
introduce the element of playinto the experiences and it
becomes a most exciting andanticipated part of any child’sday. Play encourages young
children to feel more relaxed
and allows them to become
more easily submerged in their new language
environment and, when done correctly, allows thechildren to learn their new language without evenrealising it, just as a native
speaker does.
Some of the games, role-plays
and activities that we employ
may stray from the traditionaland even look out of place ina classroom to the untrained
eye, but here at EtonHouse
Zhuhai we are proud of ourprogramme and the resultsthat we achieve. Removing
the element of play fromearly childhood education
takes away the very notion ofwhat it is to be a child, but encourage it and use it
skillfully and the results are magical and rewarding
for both children and teacher alike!

Early Years Learning through Play Philosophies
EtonHouse @ Chengdu, China
by Carol Hutchinson, Principal
Research tells us thatyoung
childrenlearn
through their experiences,throughtheirplay
and interactions witheach other and theenvironment.
Fromthese experiences andinteractions they constructmeaning and make senseof the world around them.
In the Early Years, playis essential in supportingchildren’s learning anddevelopment. A rangeof studies has provided
empirical
supportfor
Vygotsky’s argument regarding the link between
pretend play and the development of symbolic
representational abilities in children. Dyachenko(1980; reported in Karpov, 2005) showed that theability of a five to six year old toretell a story was significantly
enhanced by the use ofrepresentational objects suchas sticks, paper cut-outs andtheir consequent ability to retella story, without the use of theseobjects, was subsequently
enhanced. Berk (2006) and hercolleagues found high levels ofprivate speech and verbal selfregulation among two-six year
old children during open-ended
or make believe or pretend
play.
Play occurs in both indoor andoutdoor environments. It provides a context forchildren to feel comfortable, express themselves
and satisfy their natural curiosity. In play children
can learn in a variety of ways as they engage- 10 -

socially, emotionally, physically and intellectuallywith each other, adults and the environment. Playin a safe and secure environment allows children
to try new things, take risks, solve problems andmaster learning situations. Teachers use theseopportunities to reinforce social aspects suchas caring for others, fairness, and personal
responsibility.
Learning is all about building on priorexperiences. For young children many of theseexperiences have taken place at home or within
the family; therefore, the link between home andschool is essential and communication is vital.
At EtonHouse our caring and highly trained
professional staff inform parents of their child’s
progress and development on a regular basis
as well as providing information regarding playbased programmes.

EtonH ou se in China

Play at the Forefront of Learning
EtonHouse @ Nanjing, China
by Michel Tingley, Acting Principal
Emerson spoke of it over a
century ago and the United
Nations has called it the ‘right’of every child but today manyeducators are still having to
defend their students’ playtime
during school.
Indeed,kindergarten
hascertainly evolved over the last
20 years. For many adults,
kindergarten may bring backscenes of building blocks,
dressing up and plenty of time
when the teacher was reading stories to theclass. In an article by Lina Winerman (American
Psychology Association,September 2009, Vol 40,
No. 8) plenty of reasons are given as to why we
may need to re-think how we structure our daily
school schedules to keep ‘play’ at the forefront:
Kindergarten children in New York and Los
Angeles spend nearly three hours per day onreading and math instruction and test prep, andless than half an hour
each day on “choicetime,” or play, finds
the report, Crisis in
the Kindergarten: WhyChildren Need Play in
School.
Dr. Kathryn HirshPasek, Director of
the Infant Language
Laboratory in the
Departmentof
Psychology at Temple
University states that disappearing playtime
at home and in schools, stems from a common
root: fear. “As a society and as parents, we
believe we’re at risk of falling behind,” and thatfear manifests itself in schools via a push forcontent to be taught at ever-earlier grade levels-expecting children to learn to read in kindergarten,for example, rather than waiting until first grade.
“We want to make sure that our kids are readyfor a globalized society. So what do we do about

it? We keep shoving more factoids at them,” says
Hirsh-PasekResearch by Hirsh-Pasek and others
backs up the claim that children learn best, in
their early years, through play. In one study, shefound no differences in academic achievementby first grade between children who had goneto “academic” pre-schools versus those who’dgone to more play-oriented pre-schools. She did,
however, find that the children from academic preschools were more anxious.
EtonHouse, however, maintains their philosophy
based on research and internationally accredited
best practice in education. Children at theInternational Kindergarten in Nanjing are given
solid blocks of time, daily, to devote to exploring,experimenting and learning through play. Studies
show that these extended periods of play will aid
in the development of children’s’ fine and grossmotor skills, language, socialization, personalawareness, emotional well-being, creativity,
problem solving and learning ability. Those arehuge benefits that will result from allowing ourchildren to just be children.

Sensory Play
EtonHouse @ Yiwu, China
by Jenny Wong, Principal
It is very easy for us as teachers to talkabout providing our young children withsensory play experiences, yet theseexperiences, in reality are often limited
to water and sand experiences only. We
need to enrich the lives of our children
by providing them with a never-ending
variety of sensory opportunities and thus
experiences.
We are all very aware that children fromthe moment of birth are immersed in avariety of sensory experiences. Theseexperiences are the most fundamental
way in which children learn about
their world. Through their senses they
manipulate, explore, test, and understand theirworld. We also know that sensory play is not
only fun and very satisfying for children but it
contributes to brain development.
Experiences, using an extensive range ofmaterials, indoors and outdoors, natural and man-the materials. Each child comes to asensory play opportunity with his/her
own unique experiences, likes anddislikes and behaviours. It therefore
allows the child to open himself/herself
up to all kinds of learning experiences.
The child thus has a free rein on his/
her imagination and creativity. He/she isable to better develop problem-solving
skills and develop an understandingof the properties of the materials being
manipulated when interacting with them.

made, can be used to meet learning outcomesthat are linked to the child’s Cognitive, Language,
Physical, Social and Emotional and Creative
Development.
In sensory play each child has a way of interactingwith the materials and as such there is no rightor wrong way to experiment and explore with- 11 -For some children involving them insensory play experiences can have asignificant calming effect on them. Think
about the effect a warm bath can have on a child.
Finally, get down, get messy, get dirty and have
fun exploring the world with children, through thewonderful exploration of senses through play.

EtonH ou se in China

Learning through Play
EtonHouse @ Jinan, China
by Lucy Qu, Vice Principal and Aurelio Gonzalas, International Teacher
stand back and facilitate play from a
distance.

As early years pioneer Susan Isaacs once said,“Play is indeed the child’s work”, as children seek
to make sense of what they see and experienceand gain a greater understanding of
the world in which they live.
Play helps children to develop
social skills, promotes spatial
understanding, critical thinking skills
and enriches children’s sensory andaesthetic appreciation. Play also
has an important role with children’s
attention span, persistence, andsense of mastery.

Teachers provide children with theresources and materials to ignite
their curiosity and engage
their thinking skills. Several
weeks ago, children of the
Pre-K Tiger class showedinterest in water. Theyobtained recycled materials
from the school garden to
design an irrigation systemwith the teachers’ support.
The children drew up theplan and worked together to
set up the system. They also
thoughtfully considered ways to use
water responsibly.
The children of
the international division
started an investigationon‘autumn’.
Theywent on an excursion
to Yuanboyuan. They
picked up leaves from theMore and more people in China
are beginning to understand theimportance of play for children.
At EtonHouse Pre-school Jinan,teachers are encouraged to be
facilitators of children’s play. They
recognize that play should be
supported by sensitive interactionthis means knowing when tointervene and recognizing when to- 12 -

ground, observed the change of trees and otherplants and tasted fruit. They had an opportunity
to learn about autumn through a range of sensory
experiences.

At EtonHouse Jinan, we are constantly seeking
opportunities to collaborate with parents. We invite
parents to attend our workshops on play. Parents
are encouraged to engage in experiences suchas making playdough and interact with materials
in the different leaning spaces. The more parents
appreciate the significanceof play, the richer will be
the learning at home andschool for our children.

E ton Hou se in China/ Korea

Raise Your Flag!
EtonHouse @ Wuxi, China
by Betty Brown, Vice Principal“When I get older, I will
be stronger, They’ll callme freedom, just like awaving flag”
National dress worn withpride, ethnical music
drifting throughout thehalls and a buzz of
excitement as students
prepared for a day of
sharing,
appreciationand fun.
This year’s International Day was a culminationof organization that included, students, teachers,
parents and friends of our school. Students usedtheir passports to gain entry into a large numberof exhibitions set up on the day including: Brazil,
Japan, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, United
Kingdom, Canada, United States of America,
Greece, China, Malaysia and Australia. Students
shared in learning experiences that included:
Tasting traditional foods, learning dances,
watching information videos, playing games andlearning about factual information of the countries.

Back in the classroom
students reflected on their
new understandings anddecided on ways they
could capture and reporttheir experiences.
The displays of work were
kept in the foyer overthe next few weeks toenable members of ourcommunity to come andshare in a snippet of what was shared on this day.
We would like to thank our EtonHouse
community: Teachers, parents andsupport staff for facilitating such amemorable day for our students.

andrememberthe dead. Prior to1948, the autumnal
equinox was animperial
ancestor
worship
festivalcalledShūkikōreisai.
Thank
you
Ms. Emi Koshibaand her students
for this informative
acknowledgementand display.

The celebrations continued throughthe regular display of celebrations
around the world in the foyer. Oneof the displays will be a Japanese
Celebration: Autumnal Equinox Day(秋分の日Shūbun no Hi?) This national
holiday was established in 1948 as a
day on which to honour one’s ancestors

Play in our Learning Community
EtonHouse @ Korea
by Kathryn Morris – K2 Penguins Class Teacher
At EtonHouse Dongtan,
we foster connections
between students aswell as other members of
our learning community.
Strongconnections
that develop throughplay help students feel
more connected to theirschool,friends
andlearning, particularly in early childhood. Play also
holds an important role within our inquiry-based
curriculum where the opportunity to interact withmaterials and others, allows children to constructtheir own knowledge, as social constructivist
principles explain.

“… not only do children need toapproach materials, but theyneed one and other as part of the
exploration to constructmeaning.”
(J.
Wurm
2005)
In
K2,
we
invitedother classes into ourclassroom to take partin our ‘Hide and Seek
Camouflage’ learning experience. As partof our inquiry into Animal Adaptations, ourstudents were interested in the conceptof camouflage and made the connection
between this phenomenon and playing
the common game, ‘Hide and Seek’. We- 13 -

challenged our students to colour a paper insect
so that it could ‘hide’ in our classroom. Children
from other classes then came into our room tosearch for our hidden insects
with help from our classmembers. This game allowed
our class to build knowledge
about camouflage through amemorable experience. As
importantly, this interaction
through play helped create
bonds between classes, which
has been strengthened infurther subsequent interclassactivities.

Eton Hou se in J ap an/ Ind ia

Play - a Process of Socialisation and Development ofThinking
EtonHouse @ Tokyo
by Peter Ackerman, Director
When
we
first
begin our studiesof education atuniversity we are
told,“Childrenlearn
throughplay.” I recall oneof my professors
explainingthat
many animals play,
but primates play
more, and humans
play most of all.
The amount and complexity of play increases as
the animal becomes more dependent on learning
rather than only the basic instinct of survival.
Play is an essential element in the developmentof humans.
Play reflects the process of socialization andthe development of thinking. Young children

learn best through ‘hands on’ experiences. Preschool children, unlike older children, are unable
to learn through abstract or passive methods.
Given our understanding of the critical importanceof play in human development, an importantpart of the educator’s role is to provide theenvironment, materials, time, and child support
in order to enhance play at school. At EtonHouseInternational PreschoolTokyo
we make every
effort to prioritize
open ended, selfinitiated free play.
As we are locatedin the world’s
most
populous
metropolis
animportant part ofthis prioritization

are the opportunities for outdoor play in naturalenvironments. Fortunately, we are located next
to a large park that has grass, trees, gardens,
animals, and a large pond. Our kindergarten classuses this park on a daily basis. These visits haveprovided a multitude of varied activities and they
have also provided the stimulus for a number ofinquiry based projects.

Learning during Play
EtonHouse @ India
At Vivero Pune, playtime is a riot ofimagination and creativity. In pretend playsessions, children imitate adults and peersthat they have observed or interacted with.
As the children slip into these roles, they
weave intricate stories, often imitating andimbibing their own experiences.

A child picks up a block, pretending
it’s a telephone, holds it to her ear
and talks to her teacher.
Pretend play allows children use their
imaginations to represent objects.

At Vivero International Preschool India, play is significant,as it contributes to the child’s
learning and development. It
allows the child to build the skills
necessary for critical thinking
and problem solving.

situations
setbacks.

orDuringanintegrated
indoor playtime
sessionatVivero Mumbaitwochildren,
During pretend play sessions children
Kanon
and
experiment with language and emotions.
Sarah, decide to
They assume various roles and learn towork on a puzzle
think in an abstract manner.
board.
They
Play is a wonderful Children acting out a kitchen scene in the roleinitially held theplay corner.
way to collaborate
puzzle board inanddevelop Pretend play allows children develop
their hands, as
s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e . language and social emotional skills.
they attempted
As children play
to fit in the apt shapes in the puzzle sorter. After
together they learn tofacing much difficulty in doing this, they decided
think critically, interact
to give it a firm base, by laying it on the floor. Theyand provide solutions totook turns helping each other fit in the puzzle
shapes, supporting and encouraging each other
Kanon and Sarah work on thein the endeavour to solve the puzzle.
puzzle board together.
They learn to count, sort anduse logic to solve problems- 14 -

Children learn best when they experiment anddiscover for themselves.

E ton Hous e in Malaysia/ Ind onesia

The Importance of ‘Open-ended’ Play
EtonHouse @ Malaysia
by Claire Blake, Pre-School Director
Loris Malaguzzi ofReggio Emilia said,‘Creativity
shouldnot be considereda separate mental
facultybutacharacteristicof
our way of thinking,knowing, and making
choices.’Suchcreativity is at theheart of open-ended
play. It brings about
deep-down learningthat
cannotbemeasured. Simple materials support open-ended
play because they can be used however children’s

imaginations
suggest. Friedrich
Froebel said, ‘Play
gives
childrenjoy,
freedom,
contentment, andpeace with theworld. A child,
who plays withmotivation
until
physicallytired,
will
developas an efficient,d e t e r m i n e d
individual.’ He alsosaid, ‘Children’s play is never trivial; it is deeply
significant and should be encouraged.’

Open-ended play is play in which the children
themselves – not adults – determine what to do,
how to do it, and what to use. The term ‘openended’ means ‘unrestricted; not having a fixedanswer; allowing for future change’. While involvedin open-ended play, children need not fear doing
it wrong, since there is no ‘correct’ method or
outcome. For observant adults, such play offers
valuable insights into children’s development
and thinking. Children learn through first-handexperiential activities with the serious business of“play” providing the vehicle. Albert Einstein said,‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’,so if children are to grow up as creative thinkers,
they need an abundant opportunity to immersethemselves in imaginative, open-ended play.

The Significance of Play
EtonHouse @ Jakarta
By Natalia Ellys Susanti, Nursery One teacher
“The
wider
the range ofpossibilities weoffer children themoreintensewill be theirmotivation andthe richer theirexperiences” Loris Malaguzzi
Play holds asignificant partinchildren’s
lives. It is the
Discoveries in the garden
way for children
to learn to understand the world around them.
Through play, children gain general knowledge.
They learn to think, remember, solve problems
and most importantly socialize. For example,
children increase their problem-solving abilities

through puzzles. Another example, children learn
to socialize by sharing and taking turns in play.
At EtonHouse Indonesia we believe that asteachers, we have an important role in providing
the children with plenty of opportunities for play.
We encourage learning through play by providing

Creative play: painting with our hands

Climbing up the frame at the playground- 15 -

appropriate materials that promote explorationand learning. Our lovely garden gives opportunity
for children to explore nature. Our massive
playground has a wide range of equipment todevelop children’s motor skills. Last but not least,
our classes are filled with books, toys and art
materials to support learning through play.