Play Way Method of Teaching -Everything You Need To Know

The play way method of teaching is one of the newest trends in the field of education. It refers to the wholesome progress of a child. It is done in reference to the various areas, such as feelings, emotions, knowledge and motor skill development. This style of teaching concentrates on both kinds of development of a child – subjective as well as emotional.

In this method of teaching, playing games or sports is very important. This whole methodology is driven by the technique that moves around activity-based learning. The process of play-way method of teaching even promotes and helps build creativity and expressive skills among young kids.

In this article, you will learn about the various characteristics of the play way method and its advantages and disadvantages. You will also study about how effective it is and whether it has any really benefit for the young children or not.

What is Play Way Method of Teaching?

The play-way method of teaching propagates teaching through the various interesting activities instead of books. This method of teaching was invented by Henry Caldwell Cook. He was a British educationist who wrote the book The Play Way.

The books describes how doing anything is always a better learning procedure than reading or listening, and that young children always perform better when they are taught through the method of playing. According to him, knowledge always came from experience and never through just by reading and listening.

By following the play-way method of teaching, the teachers tend to follow the natural tendencies of the child so that he is able to get both knowledge and fun.

What are the Characteristics of Play Way Method?

The play-way method of teaching teaches a great deal to the children as well as teachers. They also learn to be patient and mould themselves according to the child’s moods, wishes and imagination. This methodology is very different from all the other older ones. Let us study some of the main characteristics of this method.

1. Active: While playing actively, the children are able to use both their bodies as well as brains. They do so by intermingling the surroundings and materials with other people.
2. Courageous and daring: While playing the kids are able to explore the new and unknown ideas. When they involve themselves in dangerous but courageous games, then they are able to securely understand these concepts within the securities of their homes.
3. Communicative: Playing games or any kind of sports acts as a big chance for the children to be able to share all kinds of information, knowledge and comprehension. They can interact orally by using their words or body gestures and other non-verbal cues. These messages or information that is conveyed can be straightforward or at times difficult to comprehend.
4. Enjoyable: For a child as well as adults, playing is always fun. When they play they tend to enjoy and get excited. Children should also be taught that when they play it should be for fun and not always to win!
5. Consequences of playing games: Playing games gives the children many chances to learn something new. They assist the children in increasing their knowledge, analyse their new and creative theories and increase their level of information, understanding and abilities.
6. Social and interactive: Playing games with other children gives the kids a unique chance to make new friends. They are able to interact more with other people, which makes them extrovert and confident. They become more social and outgoing, which leads to overall positive personal growth.
7. Remedial: Playing is remedial for young children. It helps them relieve their stress and process new and different kinds of positive emotions and feelings.
8. Self-Chosen: Playing games is a self-chosen, on the spot chase that young children alter based on their mood and whim. They should be able to alter the story, its characters, occasions and places depending on their choices.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Play Way Method of Teaching

The play-way method of teaching lets the children learn new and easy things without getting stuck into the world of books. It also increases their imagination. They are able to revise all the concepts in a fun and interactive manner.

But just like all the other concepts and methodologies, this one also has few advantages and disadvantages. Let us study and learn about them, briefly.

10 Advantages of Play Way Method of Teaching

The advantages of using the play-way are discussed as follows:

1. Physical value: By playing different games, the child is able to develop his body. They give a lot of chances for physical movement of the entire body. This helps in muscular development. When the children play the blood moves with a fast pace, which helps the body in removing different wastes from it. It also keeps the children physically fit and helps them fight different ailments.
2. Learn new things: The play way method of learning gives the children a lot of opportunities to learn new things.
3. Social interaction: Through the play way method of learning, children interact more with their friends and peers of the same age. They learn to share, cooperate and work together with other children in a better way.
4. Emotional aspect: The play way method of learning helps the children get a better grip over their emotions. They are able to express themselves in a better manner. They overcome their hesitation, sulkiness and apprehension.
5. Whole-some development: Playing games leads to the mental, physical and emotional growth of a child. They act as a means for the overall progress of a child; his mind, body and potential.
6. Friendly behaviour: Being surrounded by other people makes the child polite and he behaves with the other children and his parents and teachers in a friendly and respectful manner.
7. Motivation: Playing in a group acts as a great motivation for young kids. These games encourage the child to do more and try to achieve better results in different fields of life.
8. Get rid of boredom: The play-way method of teaching makes learning fun. It removes the aspect of boredom from the concept of learning as it follows the practice of learning by physical games and regular practice. This procedure is always more efficient.
9. Be original and on his own: This play-way method provides a lot of space and freedom to the child. It helps him in developing his own self, ability to ask questions, creativity and individual thoughts.
10. Teach positivity: The play-way method teaches a child to look for the brighter things in life. He understands that he must share and co-operate and help others. It also promotes a feeling of joint goodwill and fellow compassion.

Demerits/ Disadvantages of Play Way Method of Teaching

With everything that is good, some amount of bad is attached. We just studies the advantages of the play way method of teaching, now let us study about the disadvantages of this method.

1. Only suitable for primary grades: This play way method of learning is suitable only for small children. It can cater to only pre-primary and primary grades. It is not suitable and cannot be grades to the remaining grades.
2. Not possible to teach all subjects: The topics and theories of all the subjects cannot be taught through this methodology. Like complicated math or science theories or dates of History.
3. Ignore learning: Some children ignore or forget that the basic aim of this method is to teach them something. They tend to concentrate on just playing fun and forget that they have to study and learn as well.
4. Still under research: This method is still under research. It has, till now, also not been able to convince all the educators that it is the best method of teaching the students. Many educators do not follow this approach as they consider it divides the child’s attention.
5. Wastage of time: The play way method of learning is considered wastage of time by many parents and teachers. They think that this method just wastes the child’s time and teaches him/ her nothing of value or consequence.
6. Become too friendly: Sometimes the children become too friendly with the teacher and stop to behave in the respectful manner that they should. They forget that they have to consider the teacher as a respect figure and not just their friend.

How Effective is Play Way Method of Teaching?

The preliminary level of a child’s education is generally ignored but in actuality, it requires a lot of investigation and consideration. This is because a child’s future and base is made from primary level itself. The play-way method of learning is very effective and one of the most popular models for teaching children. It is being taught in most of India’s top preschools today.

When a child goes to the school for the first time he moves out of his home and his comfort zone. So, if a play-full environment is given to him then he will comfortable and will be able to make a bond easily with his teachers and other children. Also, small children generally get happy and thrilled if they are taught anything with fun involved in it.

This methodology lets children get creative and encourages their imagination. It helps children to improve their various skills, like gross and fine motor, artistic, ingenious, visual, cognitive, linguistic, etc. This unique method of learning can be altered and customised as per a child’s individual choices and wishes

So, it is different for every child. The teachers or parents need to make different specific learning plans and activities for each child so that a positive and fun-filled environment is created. These activities should be of various types; ranging from easy to difficult.

Giving a child complete freedom to do what he wishes, but in a protected and guided environment, is the best way to let his inner creative flourish. This kind of learning is completely based on natural instincts.

This method of learning completely disregards the age-old methods of analysing the kids’ knowledge’s depending on the grading procedure. The teacher checks the qualities and abilities of a child constantly and informs and updates the parents about the same.

When it is the time to promote the child to the next level, it is done so by seeing the child’s participation in a lot of fun-filled activities, like their inclination towards music, interaction with the teachers and the rest of the students of the class, craft work, learning and remembering skills, etc.

Such activities help in the child’s growth and development from all angles, such as physical, mental, emotional along with the development of the other skills.

There is no fixed process of applying the play-way technique of learning. It can also be merged with the other learning methods and techniques. The relevant information about this theory can be gained by completing the preschool trainer certification.

Whenever a school wants to include the play-way method of learning in its course, it has to analyse and plan even the minutest detail and then prepare consequently.

Is the Play Way Method Beneficial for Early Childhood Development?

The play way method of learning is very helpful and beneficial for the development of a child. Through this method, the children get to learn that they should co-operate and share things with their friends. They also learn the concept of helping those in need, while playing.

Even while getting knowledge and learning new things, this method instills new and positive skills in the child. It helps them become more compatible with their friends and classmates. They are also able to establish a comfortable and friendly relation with their teachers.

All of these things come together to jointly give a complete, futuristic, hopeful and comprehensive development of a child. As this method involves lot of physical activities, so it is much appreciated and wanted by young children and is quite beneficial and fruitful for them.

Play games also help in building the various skills of the child. Like if a child plays with blocks or begins to draw, then he tends to learn how to count, arrange/ rearrange and create and analyse different prototypes quite easily.

On the other hand, some children like to involve and show themselves as centre of attraction in big dramatic scenarios. They tend to express themselves by telling stories or incidents in an elaborate manner, by using their own vocabulary, and manner. It could be through songs or actions.

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Final Thoughts

The play way method of teaching is very important in the overall progress of a child. It requires a lot of awareness and investigation. If you only think about increasing the factual knowledge of your child and ignore the social and emotional progress then you are not giving the right education to your child.

The care in the early childhood and beginning years of learning are very important for a child. This kind of teaching should be casual, but done with a lot of care and consideration. It can include different types of narration, like telling stories, singing lullabies or playing creative games

When all of this is done in a creative manner and play-way then it will lead to a child becoming a happy and confident individual.