Analysis Of Documenting Play By Lynn Cohen

Within the article, “Documenting Play” by Lynn Cohen, readers are able to understand how important play is in the early childhood setting. Cohen talks about situations that she has seen where children are participating in play and relating how those skills can help the child later in life. Cohen provides an example of play by giving the readers a dialogue of children playing doctor and patient. Cohen states, “Children are learning about the world of hospitals through play.” Most parents don’t understand the importance of play and see how it could pertain to children later in life. Parents may think that children can just play at home and get the same values out of it. Parents don’t understand how important play is in the child care programs. …show more content…
Anecdotal notes are probably the easiest way to document children while they are playing. The teacher while interact with the child while they are playing but will record the date, setting, what the child said verbatim, and some basic information. Photography is a great way to see how the child has developed physically over the course of the school year. It also allows the teacher and the student to look back and reflect on their play and compare it to how they play in the present. Audiotapes are also incredibly important. Audiotapes allow the teacher to compare and contrast the student’s verbal communication skills and see how they interact with others. Another very important way to document children while they play is by videotaping them. By videotaping the child, the teacher can look back and be able to see the small details that they wouldn’t of picked up on while in that setting. It also allows teachers to see the physical development of the child throughout the course of the school year. The last two documentation styles can correlate together. Work samples allow teachers to see directly in front of them the skills that have developed over the course of time. Some teachers will have students create a project at the beginning of the year and hang it up all year long. At the end of the year …show more content…
By allowing the children to explore their freedom, and letting the child play at the child care setting, parents and teachers will be able to see how the child learns real-life situations. Play allows students to develop physically, cognitively, and socially without them realizing they are doing so. By documenting play teachers and parents will be able to see how their child has grown in the course of one school