I don't know about your kids, but mine can create quite the ruckus. Their play often turns into crazy time with a trail of stuffies, toys, and art supplies throughout the house. And, oh, the volume of giggles and shrieks. It's tempting to plop them in front of the TV to get some clean up done, or encourage them to go look at books, or play a nice game that doesn't make a mess.
Please tell me we're not the only ones with tiny cuts of paper all over the house. Often.
But that's not the job of a child. Their job is to play (although it's really nice when they also clean up as part of their job). Our first experience with preschool was a play-based experience where children learn by playing. There's so many important lessons that they learn through play and interactions with other children: cooperation, team work, problem solving, creative thinking, and more.
My butterfly girl.
When my oldest was just a baby a short seven years ago, Baby Einstein movies were the big thing we all had to share with our children to give them a head start. We fell for it and had a handful of videos that he'd watch from time to time but he wasn't really into TV - he'd rather play than watch.
Drawing in the sand.
Sometimes, our kids are way smarter than we think they are.
Just last week there was an article in CNN that praised play-based early childhood education for better preparing our kids for life. Here's a little excerpt:
When a four-year-old destroys someone's carefully constructed block castle or a 20-year-old belligerently monopolizes the class discussion on a routine basis, we might conclude that they are unaware of the feelings of the people around them.
We all know an adult or two like that, right?
The beauty of a play-based curriculum is that very young children can routinely observe and learn from others' emotions and experiences. Skills-based curricula, on the other hand, are sometimes derisively known as "drill and kill" programs because most teachers understand that young children can't learn meaningfully in the social isolation required for such an approach.
Over the years I've learned that my children are at their happiest, and truly thriving when they're engaged in imaginative play, whether alone, with each other or a friend. I'm not worried about their academic careers because that will come in time. For now, I want them to explore, be curious, pretend, imagine and experience. That's it.
Play is soooo important. We have had many issues and delays with our older girl and nothing made me happier than the day she started to really get the "imaginative" play. It's so vital!
Posted by: Jodi | January 23, 2011 at 06:43 PM
This could not have come at a better time for me (and after just sweeping up way too many little pieces of paper from under the dining table). I guess my question then is, when do the academics start to matter? When does it become more important than just play?
Posted by: Brenna | January 24, 2011 at 08:43 PM