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Value of Play
By: Sara Anderson
I have a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and worked with children of all ages for many years, and have been focusing on children with emotional and behavioral needs in the last year. I have taught first grade, and am now teaching in a College of Education, teaching Early Childhood education, and Elementary Education students. One of my favorite weeks involves play.
My mom was the first example I had of someone who valued play. She would always tell me that there was nothing like blocks for cognitive development. Because of these words, I have always had a lot of blocks in my classroom. I always valued play within my classroom, and tried to find as many ways as I could to combine play and academics. I don’t believe in rewarding behaviors with food or toys, but instead, I would allow play with other children, knowing that the developmental value would actually benefit them, while they just thought they were getting to “play.”
The following list is compiled from my own observation from one of the texts that I use for one of the courses that I have taught. To me, the best answer to the “why” that comes with early childhood, is exploration. Being able to recite the alphabet, to me, is not as important as the ability to search out answers and use cognitive processing skills to come to conclusions.
The different experiences that have been discussed and demonstrated in this blog are ideal exploration and concept formation activities for children.
As you look through this list, think of children playing and check off which of these skills the children are developing, I bet you will be able to check off a lot of these, you then you will never look at play again, and will never say, “They are just playing.” There is no such thing as just playing….so…. Play on!!!!
My mom was the first example I had of someone who valued play. She would always tell me that there was nothing like blocks for cognitive development. Because of these words, I have always had a lot of blocks in my classroom. I always valued play within my classroom, and tried to find as many ways as I could to combine play and academics. I don’t believe in rewarding behaviors with food or toys, but instead, I would allow play with other children, knowing that the developmental value would actually benefit them, while they just thought they were getting to “play.”
The following list is compiled from my own observation from one of the texts that I use for one of the courses that I have taught. To me, the best answer to the “why” that comes with early childhood, is exploration. Being able to recite the alphabet, to me, is not as important as the ability to search out answers and use cognitive processing skills to come to conclusions.
The different experiences that have been discussed and demonstrated in this blog are ideal exploration and concept formation activities for children.
As you look through this list, think of children playing and check off which of these skills the children are developing, I bet you will be able to check off a lot of these, you then you will never look at play again, and will never say, “They are just playing.” There is no such thing as just playing….so…. Play on!!!!
Skills developed by play
Sensory integration
Impulse control
Social skills
Attention span
Language comprehension
Recreational skills
divergent thinking
problem solving
planning
social/communication skills
cooperation
self esteem
self behavior regulation
communication
self control and discipline
adaptation and accommodation: children construct ways of thinking that are more effective in enabling them to deal with their environment.
Organization
Comparing/contrasting
**complied from my own observations and : Social Studies for the Preschool/Primary Child (8th Edition) Carol Seefeldt, Carol Seefeldt (Author)
Sensory integration
Impulse control
Social skills
Attention span
Language comprehension
Recreational skills
divergent thinking
problem solving
planning
social/communication skills
cooperation
self esteem
self behavior regulation
communication
self control and discipline
adaptation and accommodation: children construct ways of thinking that are more effective in enabling them to deal with their environment.
Organization
Comparing/contrasting
**complied from my own observations and : Social Studies for the Preschool/Primary Child (8th Edition) Carol Seefeldt, Carol Seefeldt (Author)
Stages of Concept Formation
Becoming Aware
Exploring
Inquiring/Questioning
Applying and Using
Learning Environment
Environment provides new experiences: activities, objects, people, events, ideas
Children’s interest is encouraged and stimulated with enthusiasm
Provokes problem solving.
Provide materials and objects to observe and actively explore
Encourages discovery through extended play
Encourages children to interact with materials
Provides activities that build understanding and creation of meaning
Allows for mistakes
Motivate by asking, “What now?”
Provides opportunities to examine and investigate various situations
Encourages questions
Helps children formulate explanations and make connections
Provides situations in which discoveries and ideas can be used
Encourages and facilitates discussion
Encourages experimentation
Shows how learning can be used in various ways
Provides and demonstrates ways what has been learned can be shown in a variety of ways.
**Taken from: Social Studies for the Preschool/Primary Child (8th Edition) Carol Seefeldt, Carol Seefeldt (Author)
Becoming Aware
Exploring
Inquiring/Questioning
Applying and Using
Learning Environment
Environment provides new experiences: activities, objects, people, events, ideas
Children’s interest is encouraged and stimulated with enthusiasm
Provokes problem solving.
Provide materials and objects to observe and actively explore
Encourages discovery through extended play
Encourages children to interact with materials
Provides activities that build understanding and creation of meaning
Allows for mistakes
Motivate by asking, “What now?”
Provides opportunities to examine and investigate various situations
Encourages questions
Helps children formulate explanations and make connections
Provides situations in which discoveries and ideas can be used
Encourages and facilitates discussion
Encourages experimentation
Shows how learning can be used in various ways
Provides and demonstrates ways what has been learned can be shown in a variety of ways.
**Taken from: Social Studies for the Preschool/Primary Child (8th Edition) Carol Seefeldt, Carol Seefeldt (Author)