Preparing for Play: early childhood education students to host play program

Second-year students in Lakeland College’s early childhood education (ECE) program are putting the finishing touches on their plans for their biggest project of the year – the play program.

For the project, the students design and run a free, four-week program for local children up to four years of age. They plan the play experiences, room layouts, snacks, marketing activities and more, and then run the program from Nov. 19 to Dec. 13 at Lakeland’s Emergency Training Centre.

“The play program gives us the opportunity to apply what we’ve learned in our program to working directly with children,” says Kathrine Lim, a student in the program. “It’s important to get that hands-on experience so we know more of what to expect when we start working in childcare centres. We’re practicing to become directors and this helps a lot.”

This year’s theme for the program is Mighty Minds.

“Children learn through play,” explains Brooke King, one of Lim’s classmates who is also involved in the project. “We chose the theme Mighty Minds because all children are mighty learners with mighty minds. There’s always room for them to grow and learn and teach us things along the way too.”

The program is an opportunity for parents who may be uncertain about leaving their children in childcare environments, King adds. They can get a sense of what it would be like for their child in an early learning setting when they’re not around in a welcoming and safe play space.

“It’s really important for kids at a young age to socialize with other children so when they go to school, they already have a sense of familiarity,” she says. “I’m very excited about it. I have worked in childcare centres before and want to see what it’s like to run a room on my own. It’ll bring us out of our comfort zones and push us to be the best educators we can be.”

There is an Open House to learn more about the program on Nov. 18 from 9-11 a.m. at the Bridges Building at Lakeland’s Emergency Training Centre. Children can attend two or three sessions per week over the four-week program. For more information and to register to ensure a spot, email mightyminds2024@gmail.com or call 780 853 8693.