I am a defender of play and a professional brain developer. I am also a self-declared "plopper". Through my 14 years of operating a family childcare business, I have had the privilege of observing children, ages 2-6, make sense of this wonderful world we live in. I have also discovered the art and value of the "plop".
A plop, by my own, self-made definition is (insert vision of me putting on instant, IQ-boosting spectacles and clearing my throat):
Plop (noun):
Anything that is placed in a child’s
environment with zero adult direction, demonstration or expectation. The child is given the freedom of time,
technique, task and team. The adult
quietly observes and gives opportunities for children to try, fail, succeed,
explore and ask for what they need.
I use to have a love affair with planning. I can't tell you how much I loved filling planners with activities, songs, games, and materials that I KNEW young children would greatly enjoy. I knew how long they would want to do each thing. I knew that they would want to learn about dinosaurs for two weeks in March. I loved planning for months in advance and looking at all the learning that was going to happen. I loved marking off my little check list of all the early learning guidelines that we were going to meet. Bottom line, I. LOVED. BEING. IN. CONTROL.
I learned a lot during those years of being in control, leading young children. Those years of being afraid to trust children to lead me. Those years when children asked me what we were going to do every single day, unable to lead themselves.
Here is a small list of what I learned during "those" years:
1) When one forces children to do something, one is going to have discipline issues.
2) I took it personally when "my crew" didn't like MY hard work and planning, and found myself making them do my "great" ideas anyway because I just KNEW they would see the light.(see #1 for why this is a problem)
3) Children have their own ideas of what they would like to do, and those ideas are usually far better than those of a controlling adult.
4) When children are followers instead of leaders too much, they lose confidence in their own ideas.
5) Sometimes, MOST times....better, random and spontaneous things happen, that plans can't possibly be made for, that are way better then any plan ever could be.
6) When wonderfully spontaneous things happen enough, one accepts the fact that over-planning and leading is not such a good way to accomplish early learning goals......(insert LIGHTBULB!).
These lessons are what led me to being a "plopper". I loved to plan, but I had realized the negative side of being too rigid and too planned. So...I began planning a plop. It was the perfect marriage between my love of planning, and giving children open-ended opportunities to be in charge of their own learning.
Below is a list of random facts and thoughts about plopping. Each item links to a previously written blog post
A plop allows for open ended exploration By quietly placing something that creates curiosity in a child's environment, without ANY direction...the possibilities are literally endless and wide open!
A plop can be, and usually is something VERY simple When plopping, don't forget the SIMPLE. Do not overthink the "plop". Many people have told me that they are not clever enough to come up with a new plop everyday. 1) A plop does not need to be clever, leave the job of "clever" to your littles. 2) You don't need a new plop everyday...no schedule needs to be followed when plopping. Some plops last for weeks in my program. Some flop, but I keep them in the environment, and my littles find a purpose for it days later...or, sometimes never. Sometimes I add to a current plop. There truly is no right or wrong way to plop...other then to give directions and demonstration and attach adult expectations to the plop.
Following children can lead to more plops! When the environment children are in causes them to wonder...they become the leader in the plopping game! Observe your children, listen to their cues, listen to the conversations. Grab a word they are using and add a mystery word to deepen the learning!
A plop can lead to children asking for what they need (YES!) Some plops require more....give children the opportunity to ask for what more they need.
How can you plop? There are many ways to plop. You can plop before the children arrive by either having the plop be very obvious, or be sneaky, and hide the plop amongst the other toys in the environment. You can plop while the children are playing, simply set a plop on a table, or on the floor, then step back and await it's discovery. You can plop as a group. This technique is one I use when there are safety concerns to discuss with the plop.
A plop can inspire IMAGINATIONS Open ended, simple, wonder-causing plops inspire imaginations EVERY SINGLE TIME! Imaginations are needed for SOLVING PROBLEMS!
A plop can be a problem that needs to be solved Plopping a plop in an inconvenient location, plopping an incomplete plop or the plop itself can create moments for children to be problem solvers. Perhaps a new plop is up on the ceiling. Let the children figure out a technique to get it down.
There you have it! The basics of "plopping" -- now, don't just hang around here! Go plop something!!
About the Author:
About the Author:
Denita Dinger is an internationally-known speaker and author.
To inquire about booking her for your next conference or training, email her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com.
Visit her Facebook pages: Play Counts, Kaleidoscope Play School, Camp Empower and Embracing Play Community
