Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children
At a time when direct, teacher-centered instruction in preschool and kindergarten classrooms is increasing, Scientific American offers a strong reminder of the importance of play for young learners.
“‘Just playing’ is in fact what nearly all developmental psychologists, neuroscientists and education experts recommend for children up to age seven as the best way to nurture kids’ development and ready them for academic success later in life,” the article states. (1 2 3 4 Next >)
“Decades of research have demonstrated that their innate curiosity leads them to develop their social, emotional and physical skills independently, through exploration—that is, through play. Even animals as diverse as squirrels, horses and bears engage in, and cognitively benefit from, play.”
Writer Paul Tullis summarizes some of the research. Children instructed in how a toy works, one study finds, are less apt to discover its various attributes than children who explore it without direct instruction. And the landmark Hart & Risley study on children’s language development found that children with the widest, richest vocabularies acquired their trove of words through conversation and playful interactions, not direct instruction. “Storytelling, singing, playing, telling jokes—those are the building blocks of extensive vocabularies.” Peter L. Mangione, co-director of the Center for Child and Family Studies at WestEd in San Francisco, tells Scientific American.
A dearth of play, the article notes, could have negative consequences. It cites research from the Perry Preschool Project in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which found that half of children who attended a preschool that emphasized direct instruction had emotional problems by age 23, compared with 6% in a high-quality play-based preschool. “Emphasizing the acquisition of skills such as early reading and geography,” the article states, “comes with a trade-off—less time spent on social and emotional development, which are themselves important to a child’s ability to learn.”
Eye on Early Education focuses on the twin goals of ensuring that Massachusetts children have access to high-quality early education and become proficient readers by the end of third grade.
This is a crucial message to get out to stakeholders and especially parents and programs. In my travels, I have observed the dearth of dramatic play, block play, the use of manipulatives, and other staples.It would be interesting to do a survey to find out how many programs and college students are using and/or aware of things like Cuisenaire® Rods.
So many early learning programs have subjected themselves to promoting “academics” over play, without recognizing the consequences. If we could only get educators, policy makers and parents to understand all of the learning that occurs during children’s play, we’d all be better off. And, we’d be teaching children the 21st century skills that are the “buzz” in the academic community right now. How else do children learn self-regulation, problem solving, and organization skills? Play gives children the opportunity to negotiate, make up rules and consequences, and take on the perspective others.
I agree it is important to get the message out that play is the work of children. The Perry Project by David Weikert and the HighScope foundation is one of the best longitudinal studies done and makes a compelling case for value of play in learning of executive and higher order thinking skills. The emphasis on rote academics at these young ages destroys their natural curiosity and love of learning that young children are designed to do.