Invitations to play: Are they just a guise for themes?

I see many 'invitations to play' on-line set up by the parent or early childhood educator, which I do not interpret as 'play' .  They are in actual fact; adult made, adult led, adult thought out, pre-planned by educator= 'traditional themes', which is what we know does not relate back to our knowledge of improved neurological activity and the way children build on knowledge. 

Things to ask yourself before setting up an 'invitation to play'
* was the activity based on interests displayed or verbalised by the child/ren or the majority of children?
*did you consult with the child/ren and give them a sense of agency in the planning of the activity in a democratic way to improve child/ren's self-esteem and positive attitude towards the play?
* Are the children being actively involved in finding out about the subject or are they just being told?
* Could educators present the activity in a more open-ended way in collaboration with children in planning to provide a more effective play-based integrated curriculum?
* Did you take into account the child's prior learning, knowledge of the experience prior to presenting the experience?
* Does the activity 'dictate' to children the play or is it open to accommodating learning styles and abilities, able to be built on and emerge into deep inquiry learning?

This approach does not mean just standing back and letting the children go for it, but finding a balance between child-centred and adult led play.

For parents at home, an activity set up for your child is better than non at all, however, if we blindly set up an activity that has no real relevance to the child's life or experiences and consequently no meaning to them, then it will not promote deep learning or creative flexibility in thinking.  As a result the child may go to preschool and not know how to play and be overly dependent on the adult to show them how.

Kidscreative.