Confidence In Play Materials

We teachers talk a lot about play-based learning being important for confidence-building. And when we do, we often put it in the context of social confidence: confidence in peer-to-peer interactions, invitations to play, expressing rules of games, and even declining to play—all the play skills we’ve been exploring.

But there’s also the confidence that comes from being in, and owning, a space. This is just as important as the social confidence piece. When a child comes to feel safe and seen in their environment, they grow confident that what they are doing is right (not “wrong”). They feel confident in exploring materials in new ways, in taking risks, and in trying again after something doesn’t work the first time.

I was watching a student at the art easels as he was mixing the paint pots. In some preschools, they would say “no” to this, but here, we try to find ways to say yes to children’s ways of interacting with and exploring the environment we create for them. By environment, I mean not only the physical space (the way the chairs and tables are arranged), but the play offerings we put out for them to explore.

The student was mixing the paints, and he came to me and said, “Come see what I’ve done!” He showed me the color he had made by mixing the pinks and oranges that had been put out that morning. Then, he grabbed all four brushes and proceeded to really, really paint with them. I was so gratified that we don’t have an environment that says “no” to children’s ideas (like mixing paint), and that he felt confident in his ability to do what he wanted with the materials. He was fully in the flow of painting.

I was thinking about this as I try to find ways to explain to adults just how much work children are doing here through play. I sometimes compare it to starting a new job as an adult: What are the job expectations? What are the social interactions with co-workers going to be like? Where am I expected to sit? What am I expected to do? Thinking of this student mixing paints, I was reminded of the confidence that comes only after months at a new job—when you finally figure out how to use the office printer. It's that deep satisfaction of knowing you’ve got this.

I suspect he was feeling something exactly like this as he owned his space here at Skytown, using all the paints to make his artwork. He figured out how to use his "office printer." That confidence is what we aim for here, before kids leave for their next educational experience.