The thesis provides insight into learning about materials and playing with them in the first age group.
The purpose of the thesis is to encourage children through the project to learn about various materials, manipulate them and use them for play.
The theoretical part explains why and how design is important in the above age group, and presents the development of the child aged from 2 to 3 years. It also defines active learning and its process, touches on the types of available games and how to perform them, and looks into which materials the children learned about and played with.
The empirical part presents the project work that was conducted in the group. A total of 14 children aged from 2 to 3 years attending the kindergarten Pedenjped, unit Škratek, in Novo mesto, were used as our research instrument. Pictorial materials are included for a more graphic presentation. The children were offered different materials, such as paper, wood and textile. We wanted to determine how they explore and manipulate the materials and thus acquire new experience and knowledge.
The results suggest that the children know the materials; however, they tend to name some of them in a different way, i.e. according to their intended use. They were offered a considerable amount of time to deal with the materials and manipulate them. The children were very curious, persistent and resourceful. They used the materials in ways that were not anticipated in the preparatory phase. Group activities were not envisaged, but they developed throughout the project. Moreover, symbolic play was also important. The children were building their social awareness, because they helped and encouraged each other during play.
While writing the thesis and carrying out the project, we concluded that children do not need as many toys as they have in the kindergarten. Waste materials would suffice as well, because they encourage creativity and interaction. The children should be provided with as many options as possible for play with different materials so they can find solutions and expand their horizons through their own effort.
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