Taylor’s College DECE programme director Nurul Iman Arshad (second from right) explaining to Ng (right) the Jelly Ball Sensorial Play zone that combines sensory exploration, early numeracy skills and environmental awareness.
PLAY has long been recognised as a fundamental activity that nurtures well-rounded development in children.
To take this a step further, Taylor’s College hosted “Play and Learn”, an activity that focused on play-based learning activities and interactions for children in the Klang Valley area.
The event, led by the academics and students of the Diploma in Early Childhood Education (DECE) programme, was held in conjunction with World Children’s Day.
It reinforces the college’s dedication to early childhood education and community engagement.
The event, which aligned with Unicef’s World Children’s Day theme “For Every Child, Every Right”, featured interactive zones designed to promote holistic development in early childhood through play.
It focused particularly on the right to freedom of expression using multi-modal senses.
The zones offered activities such as sensorial play, messy play and physical play, thus engaging different domains of childhood development, including cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills.
The event highlighted the vital role of play in a child’s development, showing how it stimulates brain growth, enhances problem-solving, fosters creativity and teaches social skills like sharing and empathy.
Play also helps children express emotions, build resilience, develop physical abilities and boost self-confidence, cultivating essential skills that lay the foundation for future success.
The event, supported by WePlay, provided DECE students a valuable platform to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world setting.
A child playing in the Splash! Interactive zone at the Play and Learn event.
The students played an active role in designing and managing various interactive zones to create enriching, play-based experiences.
Guided by faculty mentors, the experience also allowed DECE students to practise collaborative engagement with families and communities, deepening their understanding of how these interactions enriched the educational landscape and supported a holistic approach to early childhood development.
“Early childhood education is the foundation of lifelong learning,” said Taylor’s College campus director Josephine Tan.
“At Taylor’s, we prioritise a community-centred approach, where our DECE students not only gain academic knowledge and hands-on experience but also actively engage with the community.
“This commitment exemplifies our dedication to producing work-ready graduates in early childhood education, who are prepared to make a meaningful contribution,” she said.
The event was attended by children aged four to eight from both early childhood centres and community centres.
These included Selangor Public Library Corporation’s Kampung Lindungan (Desa) branch, Petaling Jaya Community Library and Taylor’s Work-Based Learning partners.
The event was also made lively by a special appearance from animation characters Anna & Hanna, who performed educational sing-a-longs together with the children.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng, who was present, said, “Play and Learn is a fantastic initiative that embodies the belief that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ – a principle at the heart of early childhood development.
“This event reinforces our commitment to support educational programmes that empower young learners.”
