A Motor-Based Preschool Curriculum for Children of All Abilities

By Mary J. Sullivan Coleman, OTR, MA and Laura Krueger, PT, MA.

Play & Learn is a 12-month preschool curriculum specifically developed for children of ALL abilities! So easy for educators, para professionals, and other classroom staff to understand and set up. Play & Learn equips students with the essential "readiness skills" that every student needs as they enter kindergarten. Reading, writing, and communication are integrated into lessons that help children explore new goals and meet IEP objectives through:

• Social Interaction
• Structure & Repetition
• Motivation
• Music & Movement

The spiral bound book is packed with more than 300 pages of theme-based activities that are highly engaging and relevant to young children. Each activity includes a "Try Another Way" option that utilizes simple assistive technology so all students can participate, communicate, and learn.

NEW Preschool Framework
Evidence-based practice drives the foundation for Play & Learn's primary components:

Transdisciplinary - A holistic model in which the child, environment, and functional tasks are integrated, not isolated.

Routines - Motor-based activities are embedded in meaningful routines that support home activities to foster successful learning outcomes.

Universal Design - Activities include a range of options and ways to integrate assistive technology to motivate learning and draw all children together.

Strength-Based - An approach that uses successes as the groundwork for realistic expectations and the foundation for growth and change.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive manual with reproducibles
• Universal design
• Correlated to early learning domains
• Theme-based lessons for each month of the year
• Data collection
• Preschool routines-based assessment
• All new Preschool Action Dictionary
the premier guide to differentiated instruction in
special education
• Exclusive Play & Learn online membership
with access to additonal members-only resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Play & Learn?
A: Play & Learn is a motor-based preschool curriculum for children of ALL abilities based on current research that emphasizes a holistic model in which the child, environment, and the functional tasks are integrated – not isolated. It is also an excellent example of universal design in action! The model for universal design supports an environment where ALL children are included in the same activities within the classroom. Play & Learn shows how to embed adaptations and simple assistive technology into the classroom, so all children can be full participants in their educational environment. Play & Learn is a proven 12-month, theme-based curriculum that includes step-by-step instruction and is full of over 260 activities that promote the development of the whole child. Play & Learn is a proven 12-month, theme-based curriculum that includes step-by-step instruction and is full of hundreds of activities that promote the development of the whole child.

If you are interested in learning more about this quality preschool program, check out the Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: How is the Play & Learn curriculum structured?
A: This twelve-month preschool curriculum provides a framework that is organized to facilitate learning based on current research and monthly theme-based activities that correlate with high quality literature books. The structure includes Play Areas and emphasizes the four key elements necessary in a preschool learning environment. Each of the activity lessons is supported with student photos that make the activities come to real life.

Q: How many Monthly Themes are Included in the Play & Learn curriculum?
A: There are 12 monthly themes:
• September: Welcome to School
• October: Fall Colors
• November: Celebrating Families
• December: Holiday Dazzle
• January: Winter Wonderland
• February: Friends
• March: Animals on Parade
• April: Spring
• May: All Kinds of Gardens
• June: Summer Fun
• July: Celebrate with a Parade
• August: Exploring Our Environment

Q: What are the four key elements emphasized in Play & Learn?
A: Routines and Music, Repetition, Play, and Social Interactions

Routines and Music:
Both routines and music play a significant role in creating a predictable environment which supports a child's learning. The Play & Learn curriculum offers an array of music options and cooperative sensorimotor routines that give structure to the schedule and the environment.

Repetition:
Children learn to develop skill transference through repetition of tasks that contain variation. You will find repetition with a variety throughout all the activities in the Play & Learn curriculum.

Play:
Because we know children stay motivated when that are having fun, work becomes child's play work. The Play & Learn curriculum is full of activities centered on play. These fun activities enhance all developmental areas, because children are using multiple sensory systems for learning.

Social Interactions:
Play & Learn incorporates the use of commercially available preschool games throughout the curriculum, since these provide an excellent way to promote natural social interactions. All of the 260 activities provide an opportunity to expand social interactions and have been design with this in mind.

Q: How will I be able to include all my students, even those within the severe disability range?
A: It’s easy with AbleNet’s Preschool Action Dictionary™."

The Preschool Action Dictionary™ offers children with cognitive and physical challenges alternative ways to perform any action in Play & Learn. This handy reference guide to differentiated instruction integrates perfectly with Play & Learn’s universal design model for learning, which allows children of all abilities to participate in activities. Every Play & Learn lesson features action words in bold; these words can be found in the Preschool Action Dictionary along with three or four differentiated strategies designed to maximize learning and participation when adaptations are needed. Combined with differentiated instruction strategies and step-by-step instructions for adapting the activities, Play & Learn enables students of all abilities to participate, communication, and learn.

Q: Does the Play & Learn curriculum provide data collection tools?
A: YES!

Play & Learn includes the Routines Based Assessment for recording and sharing student growth and progress, and is an excellent addition to other assessment and data collection tools you may already have in place. The checklist addresses a variety of times of day and skills used during those times and locations.

Q: Where can I get additional Support Materials?
A: After you purchase Play & Learn, you’ll gain access to an exclusive Members Only site that gives you additional support materials.

Q: What Support Materials are included?
A: There are several items that support the teaching of the themed-based activities:
• Each month includes a recommended literature book list
supporting the monthly theme. Also included on the list are
literature books that promote disability awareness
• Toys and Equipment Resource list to locate the teaching
materials suggested in the curriculum
• Reproducible patterns for supporting activities
• Directions for creating:
- Adapted juice lids
- Adapted stamps
- Adapted sponges
- Adapted fishing poles
- Adapted magnetic stickers and colorforms
- Adapted felt materials
- And so much more
• Functional Motor Checklist for recording and sharing student growth and progress

Q: Will I be able to meet my students IEP goals and objectives using this program?
A: Yes.

Play & Learn materials support the teaching of the theme-based activities with a variety of resources, such as a monthly recommended book list, disability awareness literature list, reproducible patterns, a toys and equipment resource list, and Functional Motor Checklist for recording and sharing student growth and progress. On the Play & Learn Members Only site you will also find the following:
•Extras -Preschool Action Dictionary™
-Song List
-Book List
-Frame
•Reproducibles
-Mazes
-Games
-Dot-to-Dot
-Stories
-Teaching Picture Symbols
•Virtual Training
-Play & Learn Overview

Research

Facilitating Preschool

APTA Brain Rehabilitation

Universally Designed Play

Play and Learn is Research Proven - View Video

Developmental domains for early learning are accepted by early childhood organizations and state departments of education as the structure upon which to build early childhood state standards. Although they vary slightly from state to state, the most common are:

1) Social and Emotional Development

2) Approaches to Learning

3) Language and Literacy Development

4) Creativity and the Arts

5) Cognitive Development

6) Physical and Motor Development

The activities in Play & Learn address each one of these domains/standards.

Download Sample Lessons

Let's Play
Let's Paint & Create
Let's Move
Let's Read & Write

Preschool Action Dictionary

User Stories

Because of the Play & Learn curriculum, Danna's peers are more interested in what she is doing and want to be her partner in activities. It brings me great joy watching her react when she is interacting with her classmates. This is when she really shines!
- Kari Anderson, Parent

As an Assistive Technology Consultant, I have supported and facilitated the use of the Play and Learn curriculum in four of our Early Childhood Special Education classrooms and in one regular daycare setting. The structure and framework that the Play & Learn curriculum provides allowed our teachers to blend their favorite activities and ideas directly into the monthly theme activities. Most importantly, I have observed that all of our EC teachers have a much more purposeful thought process in regards to what they are striving to accomplish throughout their daily activities. There is now a "purpose" and "objective" to each and every activity introduced to students.
- Julie Freed, Assistive Technology Consultant, Grant Wood Area Education Agency, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

As an Occupational Therapist who has worked in hospitals, schools, and outpatient clinics for over 20 years, I found Play & Learn incredibly well done and an excellent tool for providers and caregivers who support children with disabilities in natural environments. The most beneficial aspect of the Play & Learn activities was that there were "functional" as well as "therapeutic activities." When accommodations are made that allow children to engage in play, both children with and without disabilities benefit as they learn to respect differences and share common interests.
- Anonymous

For parents of children with disabilities to witness their child in a natural social situation where they are valued and allowed to be just a child like any other child, enjoying childhood play, the benefits are seen in the smiles on their faces as they witness the beginning of true friendship development and a connection to the wider community in which they live.
- Mary Shea, Director of Site Development, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA