Why is Play important?
I recently had a conversation with a friend and colleague. She is a kindergarten teacher at the same school my child attends. Last year, my child was in kindergarten and they playtime in their lesson plans. Now due to the increased common core standards and the required activities in the classroom, playtime had to be removed. The students have now replaced playtime with daily 5 instruction which is where their playtime is now working with words of some sort, reading to self, reading to others and two others. This is an interesting way of teaching in my opinion, at the age of 4 and 5, most students cannot read. However during my conversation with my friend, I asked her if she incorporated play into her classroom. She breaks her recess down into 2 portions. Half of the recess time, they play outside. They then continue with class and they have another recess, which they call play time and the students use the old play items, such as kitchen, dress up, blocks, and more. The kids do not have as much time as they have in the past, but at least we still have educators who know the importance of playtime for students. Playing is a way to help develop creativity. According to Almon, there is no better way to foster creativity than to keep it alive in early childhood when it is naturally strong and expresses itself through play. Creativity is something that we want all children to have as well as what most colleges and employers want as well. Let's give our children the best start possible by letting them just PLAY!!!!!
Almon, J. (2013). It's Playtime. Principal. Retrieved from Almon_Playtime.pdf
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ReplyDeleteAccording to Anderson-McNamee and Bailey (2010), "Play is a child's work. Play is important for children’s development and for children to bond. It offers a chance to connect with your child. You are your child’s first teacher and much of that teaching happens through play. Play helps your child learn the rules of your family and what is expected of him or her. As children grow, play helps them learn how to act in society" (para.1). Children are products of their environment. Engaging in play is an empowering motivation to explore the world from different perspectives. Children can build bonds, reduce stress, and boost self-esteem through play. More importantly, they develop their own imaginations (Anderson-McNamee & Bailey, 2010).
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Anderson-McNamee,J. K., & Bailey, S. J. (2010). The importance of play in early childhood development. Retrieved from http://msuextension.org
Thank you for your post. My daughter loves to play. She has a fabulous imagination. The older she gets, the more I worry about her wanting to play on electronics versus being outside and playing. However, she has a computer, an Ipod, and Ipad and a tablet of her own and the only time she uses them is when we are in the car or she is working on homework. She is a little girl that enjoys being outside, playing sports, playing with her friends and playing with her dolls or legos. My husband and I enjoy our family time playing together. She teaches me something new everyday.
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