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Creative learning in young children
Influence of play on children's development
The Influence of Play on Child Development Essay
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Recommended: Creative learning in young children
Children like to play. Play is essential for a child’s development and for learning life skills. It provides a natural, comfortable setting for young children to develop and learn. Froebel and Montessori have said that play is children’s work, but it is also adult work. Preschool must work to better understand the role of play in the lives of young children, and how to nurture and utilize play with children. (Koralek, 2004)
Play is important to the academic environment. The school focuses on social, emotional and cognitive development of children. Through play, children learn to adjust in the school setting and get ready to learn. Children develop problem-solving skills and social-emotional skills which are integrated with academic learning.
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For example, a child may feel pride in stacking blocks and disappointment when the last block makes the stack fall. Play allows children to express their views, experiences and at times, frustrations. Play with other children helps a child learn how to be part of a group. Play allows a child to learn the skills of negotiation, sharing, and working within groups. Children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace and discover their own interests during play. (Bodrova, E. & Leong D, 2005) The interactions that occur through play help to build relationships with peers and teachers.
In our society, children have less opportunity to use and develop creativity. Children who are not given ample time to play may have difficult time and do not know what to do without instruction. By providing opportunity to play, children develop their own imaginations which help brain development. Through play, children come up with creative ideas to learn.
“Play is a pleasurable and intrinsically motivated activity that allows infants to have motivations for achieving motor skills and show expressions of pleasure.” (Garner & Bergen, 2006) Play can provide many opportunities to work on strengthening these
Leong was featured in the May 2003 issue of the NAEYC’s Young Children. The article explores the conflict between children's play and meeting academic standards; more frequently, teachers are forced to limit playtime in order to teach essential skills to students; however because of limited imaginary play, increased academic demands of young children, and more realistic toys, children are almost unable to imagine. Although play has been proven to benefit children’s cognitive and social development, administrators do not consider it to be an important aspect of young children’s education. Because of this, preschool and kindergarten teachers are put in a challenging predicament; in order to compensate for children’s lack of play, teachers would need to prioritize play development at the level in which they prioritize phonics awareness and fine motor skills development. Although it is difficult to do, it is not impossible to incorporate play into the curriculum. Teachers can facilitate mature play by providing multi purpose props, encouraging children to create their own props, and allowing time for children to plan their roles and scenarios for dramatic play. In addition to play helping children develop foundational skills and concepts necessary to master math and reading, it has been shown to increase classroom cooperation, the effectiveness of instructional time, and the number of friendships developed in the
..., J., & Garzoli, E. (2007, November 11). The Effectiveness of a Play-Based Curriculum in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from http://teachplaybasedlearning.com/8.html
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
All children play and it is something that most children do because they are having fun, but without realising children are developing and learning skills when they are engaged in play. Play helps stimulate the mind as it is practical and gives children the chance to explore and experience new situations. It can also ensure that children get to think by themselves and be spontaneous as they control their own play. Children get the chance to be creative and imaginative which develops independence for children. Play is vital for child development and helps children develop five main areas of development:
Many theorists have tried to define play as a concept, however, no two agree on a set definition. Their backgrounds and induvial lifestyles influence the way they see the importance of play. Reed and Brown also believe that there isn’t an agreed definition of play because is something that is felt rather than done (Reed & Brown, 2000 cited in Brock, Dodd’s, Jarvis & Olusoga, 2009). In spite of this, it is clear that most theorists uphold the ethos that play is imperative to a child’s learning and development. There is a wide range of different studies and theories which helps us develop our own perception of what play is. In my personal experience I have found play to be a way of expressive our emotions, exploring and learning new things, thus
...ng in the educational context requires teachers as the competent adults or instructors, it demonstrates the importance of teacher presence in all areas of the curriculum especially in play. Whether through Piaget’s cognitive constructivism or Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, it is important for teachers to actively participate and interact with the children to foster their cognitive and social development. To scaffold children’s play, the teacher is important in roles such as creating the right play environment by preparing adequate materials, designing the playing space and ensuring adequate play materials, designing appropriate play experiences to structure and facilitate the children’s development and facilitating interactions among the children and between themselves and the children to facilitate and support meaning making (Module 2 & Module 3, 2012).
Thinking back on my childhood, I first remember all the times I played outside in my backyard. I would pretend to dig up dinosaur bones or create imaginary realms of ancient lands; there I would perform diplomatic services for the people in need. I was usually alone, and those are some of my fondest memories. When I first decided to become a teacher and thought about what is important to my philosophy on how children learn, I immediately knew I was a strong believer in play. Although, many decision makers such as legislators and school district leaders believe in more academic types of learning styles, my paper will discuss why play is so powerful and important to children.
Early childhood teachers often say that “play is a child’s work” while some parents ask ‘Did my child just play all day?’” (Rice 1). Many people do not realise how important play is and what role it plays in the development of their children. Teachers provide opportunities for children to have spontaneous, unstructured child-initiated play experiences by providing stimulating materials to “enhance and entice children into play” (Rice 2). These materials include loose parts and are open-ended and spark creativity by providing children opportunities to think, plan, and carry out their play (Rice 2). Limited learning may take place if teachers do not make play easier and maximize the benefits (Rice 2). Teacher support is also a necessary component
Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2010, July 20). Why is Play Important? Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Creative Development | Education.com.
...ctive. Play is an essential learning tool and one that must not be ignored within the classroom. It is a catalyst to help children develop socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. It is not only an important part of a child’s development as a pupil but also a child’s development as an individual.
Before diving into my research, I reflected on the knowledge I already knew regarding play and play based learning. From experience, I know that play is an enjoyable activity for children, and even some adults. I know that there are different ways one can play. For example, playing with others is known as cooperative play and playing alone is considered solitary play. There are different types of play. For example, there is dress up or pretend games, which is considered dramatic, play and there is playing with building blocks which is constructive play. After my reflection I realized that I was more knowledgeable on the action of playing rather then the benefits of it.
In the article, Playing at School: An Inquiry Approach to Using an Experiential Play Lab in an Early Childhood Teacher Education Course, the authors discuss their study regarding the importance of play in early education. Research supports the contribution of play to children’s development, learning, and well-being. According to the authors play is considered an important activity of the early childhood years. Despite the vast amount of knowledge that supports play, play is being removed in many early childhood programs. It is being replaced by greater time allotted to formal instruction in narrow academic skills to be tested eventually by standardized test Kemple & Porter, 2015, p. 250). For that reason, the purpose of their study was to document and analyze what happens when an experiential play lab is implemented in an early childhood teacher education program. Furthermore, their qualitative study includes multiple forms of data collection, including two forms of reflective writings and group discussions (Kemple & Porter, 2015, p. 251).
Why play is important to the holistic development of the child & your role as an educator to support the children?
A definition of play is any behavior that is freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated. Play allows the use of creativity while developing imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Through play at an early age engage and interact with the world around them. (Play - what is Play?)
In Kindergarten school, some parent believes play is the best way for young children to learn the conceptions, skills, and set a solid foundation for later school and life success. In the other hand, many parents disagree and believe play is a waste of time, messy, noisy, and uneducationall. I believe play is not waste of time, but it something worth to fight for, in this presentation I would show parent the main importance of some of the numerous kinds of play, and why play is a fundamental basis for improving children’s ability to succeed in school and life.