30 raring2go.co.uk 31 What happens when you let your child guide you in their play? Are you digging for worms, participating in elaborate rituals that introduce one soft toy to one another or travelling to an imaginary land with Lego? Are you surprised, impressed and in awe of your child’s imagination and curiosity? From our earliest days, play is how we relate to the world, and to each other. When children have plenty of opportunities to engage in child-led play, they do what they do best: pursue their natural curiosity and build skills and aptitudes they will keep for life. For our PreSchool girls, play is an intrinsic part of their day. When children play, no matter what it looks like, they learn. Play is one of the most important ways children learn and develop. It is as important as eating fruit, story time together and having a good night’s sleep. Friedrich Froebel, an educational theorist, had firm views on play and its place in child development, believing that it fostered enjoyment, emotional well-being and physical growth. Every day at Pre-School is an adventure for our girls, learning through child-led and adult-led play. One minute they are stomping through the woods on a bear hunt and the next they are pretending to be a vet bandaging the toy dog’s tail. During imaginative play, children get to be anyone, anything and anywhere. Children will use all sorts of items to symbolise things and ideas during their play. Through imaginative play children learn critical thinking skills, how to follow simple directions, build expressive and receptive language, increase social skills and learn how to manage their emotions. Our Pre-School girls enjoy play-based experiences interwoven through their day, enabling them to flourish and develop a love of learning. Play is one of the fundamentals of language development. Specifically, play helps with language because they watch, they listen, they explore, they imitate, and it is fun. Play also supports social interaction, which is another fundamental of language development. So much of communication is based on body language, posture, facial expression and conversational skills. Our daily Circle time is key to giving the girls the opportunity to develop their conversational skills, such as the nature of conversation and remaining on topic. Play provides an environment which is rich in motivation, experience and social reward. Nothing makes me happier than seeing our Pre-School girls form relationships, learn about themselves and blossom into confident, curious and motivated learners – all through play. www.stcatherines.info/pre-school St Catherine’s Pre-School is for girls aged 3, open 8am to 6pm and led by their Deputy Head, Head of Pre-Prep and early years professional, Emily Jefford. Emily explains how child-led play in Pre-School is imaginative, spontaneous and quite incredible! St Catherine’s Prep, Bramley GSA Day & Boarding School since 1885 | 3-18 years | Guildford www.stcatherines.info | prepadmissions@stcatherines.info Our Pre-School offers an exceptional start for girls aged 3. Scan the QR code to see our Prospectus and find out more. Call Sarah Waller our Registrar on 01483 899665, or email prepadmissions@stcatherines.info Open Days: Friday 14th March 2025 and Wednesday 7th May 2025 Saturday 17th May 2025 10am - 12pm OPEN MORNING Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6BH 01428 604 808 • registrar@saintedmunds.co.uk saintedmunds.co.uk BOOK HERE EXPLORE A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES Raring2go! EDUCATION Raring2go! EDUCATION
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