Assignment title
Assessor
Qualification suite covered
Units covered
Learning aims covered
Date issued
Final deadline
Duration
Scenario
Task number
Task title
Task instruction
The Importance of Play
BTEC Level 3 National Subsidiary Award in Children’s Play, Learning and
Development
BTEC Level 3 National Award in Children’s Play, Learning and
Development
BTEC Level 3 National Subsidiary Certificate in Children’s Play, Learning
and Development
BTEC Level 3 National Certificate in Children’s Play, Learning and
Development
BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Children’s Play, Learning and
Development
Unit 2: Play in Early Years Settings
Learning aim A: Understand the links between play and children’s
development
Learning aim B: Understand how a range of play opportunities and types
can support children’s development
Learning aim C: Understand how a range of perspectives influence current
approaches to play
Learning aim D: Understand adults’ involvement in children’s play
Interim deadline
20 hours
You work for an early years setting and part of your job role is to help train
and update members of staff. The setting looks after children aged 0–8
years and it includes nursery, before school, after school and school
holiday provision.
1
Linking Play and Development
Using relevant media sources, e.g. PowerPoint® with presenter’s notes,
prepare a presentation about the value of play to provide training for
learners at the setting. The use of images to support your text will be
beneficial but make sure they are relevant and that you have gained the
necessary permission to use images of children. You must cover ranges
(0–2 years, 2–8 years). This could be done by using a case study for each
age range. You need to include the importance of play to all aspects of
development and how children play at different stages of development.
Discuss a variety of play opportunities or types that children use, then
select one example and give details of how it supports the various aspects
of development.
References, quotes and bibliography must be shown.
Evidence you must
produce for this task
Presentation notes or presentation slides with development notes
Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Explain how play supports the physical, cognitive, language, social and
emotional development of young children.
Explain how children play at different stages of development.
Discuss the role of play in supporting the physical, cognitive, language,
social and emotional development of a child at different stages.
© Pearson Education Limited 2012
Issue 2
Unit
2
Criterion
reference
3A.P1
2
2
3A.P2
3A.M1
1
Task number
Task title
Task instruction
2
Types of Play to Support Children’s Development
Use evidence from your placement settings and case studies for the ages
0–2 years and 2–8 years, to show how different types of play support
children’s development. The evidence must also include how you
differentiate play to meet individual needs of children and the resources
you could use for the type of play shown.
You also need to show evidence within your case studies from your
placement of how you have interpreted and questioned the types of play
you have discussed. Show how they would support a child’s overall
development, and provide a rationale for the selection and suitability of
resources used.
Using your own opinion, judge the effectiveness of the different types of
play and resources used to support the development of children within the
age ranges 0–2 and 2–8 years.
All five types of play must be included (physical play, imaginative play,
sensory play, creative play and construction play).
References, quotes and bibliography must be shown.
Evidence you must
produce for this task
Learner-initiated case studies or appropriate evidence from a setting
Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Explain how types of play support the development of young children to
include:
 physical play
 imaginative play
 sensory play
 creative play
 construction play.
Explain how to differentiate play to meet the development needs of
individual children.
Unit
2
Criterion
reference
3B.P3
2
3B.P4
Explain how resources can best support different types of play in early
years settings.
2
3B.P5
Analyse how selected types of play meet the needs of a child and support
the child’s all-round development.
2
3B.M2
Discuss the suitability of selected types of resources to support play and
play opportunities in early years settings to meet the needs of children at
different stages of development.
Evaluate the extent to which different examples of play and selected
resources support the all-round development of children from birth up to 2
years and children from 2 up to 8 years.
2
3B.M3
2
3B.D1
© Pearson Education Limited 2012
Issue 2
2
Task number
Task title
Task instruction
3
Perspectives and their Influences on Play
Write a report on your setting to discuss approaches to play. You need to
include one theoretical, one philosophical and one other approach to play
which commonly influence the provision in the early years setting. You also
need to investigate and question to what extent the curriculum has been
influenced by these approaches and, in your own opinion, judge how effective
the application of one of these approaches has been within the early years
setting.
References, quotes and bibliography must be shown.
Evidence you must
produce for this task
Learner- or tutor-initiated case studies or appropriate evidence from a setting
Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Describe theoretical, philosophical and other approaches to play that
commonly influence provision in early years settings.
Analyse the extent to which an early years curriculum/framework has been
influenced by theoretical, philosophical or other approaches to play.
Evaluate the success of the application of a theoretical, philosophical or other
approach to play in an early years setting.
Task number
Task title
Task instruction
Unit
2
Criterion
reference
3C.P6
2
3C.M4
2
3C.D2
4
Are Adults Important?
Produce a leaflet for early years practitioners and learners to discuss the
benefits to children’s development of adult involvement in play. You must also
include examples of adults initiating and directing children’s play effectively and
evidence of how they recognise and respond to the individual needs of
children. Use examples from an appropriate setting. Within the leaflet you also
need to discuss and interpret the skills required by adults to support childinitiated play and present reasoned judgements on these skills, including how,
why and when you would use the skills and any limitations you have come
across when conducting child-initiated play to support learning.
References, quotes and bibliography must be shown.
Evidence you must
produce for this task
Leaflet for early years practitioners and learners
Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Explain the benefits of adult involvement in play to babies’ and children’s
development.
Explain how adults can effectively initiate and direct play.
Analyse the skills that are required by adults in early years settings for effective
child-initiated play, with examples.
Evaluate how skilled adults in early years settings can contribute to effective
child-initiated play.
© Pearson Education Limited 2012
Issue 2
Unit
2
Criterion
reference
3D.P7
2
2
3D.P8
3D.M5
2
3D.D3
3
Sources of information
Textbooks
Bruce, T. (1991) Time to Play in Early Childhood Education, London:
Hodder Arnold, 978-0-34053-878-4.
Garvey, C. (1991) Play (The Developing Child), Waukegan, IL:
Fontana Press, 978-0-00686-224-6.
Macleod-Brudenell, I. et al (2004) Advanced Early Years Care and
Education, Oxford: Heinemann, 978-0-43540-178-8.
Moyles, J. (1989) Just Playing?: Role and Status of Play in Early
Childhood Education, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 978-0-33509564-3.
Tassoni, P. and Hucker, K. (2005) Planning Play and the Early Years
(Professional Development), Oxford: Heinemann, 978-0-43540-119-1.
Tassoni, P. (2008) Penny Tassoni’s Practical EYFS Handbook.
Oxford: Heinemann, 978-0-43589-991-2.
Tassoni, P., Baker, B. and Squire, G. (2012) BTEC National
Children's Play, Learning and Development Student Book 1, Essex:
Pearson Education Ltd., 978-1-44690-134-2.
Websites
www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/play – website for the BBC
www.education.gov.uk – website for the Department for Education
www.foundationyears.org.uk – website for professionals working with
children and families in the foundation stage
© Pearson Education Limited 2012
Issue 2
4