Choosing a creche to educate and care for children offers many advantages. Social and peer interaction opportunities are obvious as your child’s individual needs are cared for in a group setting. Creches in Glanmire, Cork offering a high quality service value play highly. At Crawford Childcare our entire curriculum is formed around play activities following the Montessori belief that play is the child’s work and Aistear, the National Curriculum for children aged 0 to 6 years.

Playing with others increases social competence and maturity. Many studies have linked school success with children’s abilities to interact with adults and peers over cognitive ability. Play allows children to practice verbal and non-verbal communication skills through negotiation where feelings can be expressed and appreciated. Turn taking and sharing also develops. Play gives opportunities for children to experiment and explore the roles of people in their family and community as they learn to deal with the needs and wishes of others. Furthermore different viewpoints can be appreciated by working through conflicts regarding space, equipment and rules.

Play can provide a means for the child to express their feelings and learn how to cope with and manage being angry, sad or worried in a controllable situation. Our keyworkers learn to carefully observe the children at play and allow children to work out and problem solve themselves wherever possible. They are best placed to know when your child needs extra support in social situations at creche and will provide this as appropriate. As your child becomes more competent the adult intervenes less. This enables the child to feel safe and secure providing a strong emotional base to play and learn from.

Spontaneous and structured play allows the child to explore their interests and discover what they enjoy and are good at. Play that involves children actively using their bodies develops fine and gross motor skills and body awareness. Using their bodies in play also enables them to feel physically confident and secure. Active play helps build energy levels, promotes flexibility and muscular strength as well as social skills and resilience.

Social play also supports creative and imaginative thought. It offers a risk free environment with no pass or fail situations. Make believe play is seen as vital to create internal imagery, stimulate curiosity and experiment in different social contexts.

The importance of play is well documented. Play is highly valued at Crawford Childcare. Parents – take the time with your child to look through and discuss our learning stories of play in our reception for an insight into some of the play and learning opportunities we offer here.