Keywords
well-being
early years education
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper presents five years of introducing free play into Gedania 1922 preschool, based in Gdańsk (Poland). Attention is also drawn to the presence of play in Polish schools and the necessity of conducting changes in education, which would involve the introduction of free play in schools and increased emphasis on building soft skills in children. These skills could also be supported through free play.
References
Baines, E., Blatchford, P. (2011). Children’s Games and Playground Activities in School and their Role in Development. In A. Pelligrini (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Play. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Burton, L., Conibere, K., Russel, W., Suhajda, V., Vastag, Z. (2019). Children’s Access to Play in Schools: A Handbook for Schools. Cheltenham: University of Gloucestershire.
Hofman, A. (26 July 2018). New model of preschool education. Online: <http://etsn.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/new-model-of-preschool-education_Gedania-1922-Kindergarten.pdf>. Date of access: 10 September 2019.
Hyndman, B.P., Benson, A.C., Ullah, S. (2014). Evaluating the Effects of the Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity and Play (LEAP) School Playground Intervention on Children’s Quality of Life, Enjoyment and Participation in Physical Activity. BMC Public Health.
Lester, S., Russell, W. (2008). Play for a Change. Play Policy & Practice: A Review of Contemporary Perspectives. National Children’s Bureau.
Maciaszek, K. (2019). Chapter 2: Play in Schools, subsection 2.4: Poland, in Burton, L., Conibere, K., Russel, W., Suhajda, V., Vastag, Z., Children’s Access to Play in Schools – A Handbook for Schools. Cheltenham: University of Gloucestershire, 11-12.
Massey, W. V., Stellino, M. B., Mullen, S.P., Claassen, J., Wilkison, M. (2018). Development of the Great Recess Framework – Observational
Tool to Measure Contextual and Behavioral Components of Elementary School Recess. BMC Public Health.
Wood, E., Attfield, J. (2005). Play, Learning and the Early Childhood Curriculum. London: Paul Chapman.
Pellegrini, A., Bjorklund, D. (1997). The Role of Recess in Children’s Cognitive Performance. Educational Psychologist, 32(1), 35–40.
Sutton-Smith, B. (1997) The Ambiguity of Play. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press.