Free Play and the Teacher

It is our intent to protect and promote the psychological and physical safety, health, and well-being of each child being cared for. The supervisor, program teachers, and assistants are responsible for supporting and promoting developmentally appropriate programming while monitoring and adapting the environment to the health and safety needs of the child. 

A playroom should be a child-oriented room that provides room activities which stimulates thinking, imagination, creativity, logical thinking and reasoning.

 Upon entering the playroom one should see the children involved in room activities and the teachers an active part of those activities. The teacher should be sitting on chairs at tables, sitting on the carpet alongside the children, bending down, kneeling or crouching at the child’s level. The teachers should be engaged in meaningful conversations with children making certain to establish eye contact and physical proximity. The teacher should be providing assistance as the child shows need. The teacher should be aware of the individual child as well as the needs of the whole group. The teacher should be constantly seen and heard capitalizing on the teaching opportunities. The teacher, child, and environment are the three necessary points to formulate a successful triangle of learning and development.

The teacher acts as a role model for the child providing examples that the child is expected to follow and imitate. As the child’s teacher you should make sure to model the following traits and characteristics:

  1. Warm, friendly personality (shows enjoyment and appreciation of the child)

  2. Gentle and supportive interactions

  3. Sense of humour

  4. Displaying appropriate affection

  5. Patience (behavior management tools and strategies)

  6. Calmness (voice tone, language, face and body language)

  7. Respects the rights of the child

  8. Accepts child’s individuality

  9. Perceptive to new ideas

Teachers are asked to make a concentrated effort to provide each child with a personality that communicates love, care, and understanding, and a professional work ethic that communicates a high standard of early childhood education experience and knowledge.