Learning Through Play

Play is an important aspect of the Goddard educational experience. We realize how important play is to the development of your children. Below are some excerpts from a paper prepared for Goddard Systems, Inc. by Kyle D. Pruett, M.D, an internationally known child psychiatrist and expert on children, family relationships and fathers. The full paper details how early play-stimulation is critical to central nervous system development in infants and very young children, setting them on a better path for academic success.

Why Play Isn’t Just Play
Extensive research and recent evidence indicates that play is a critical component in the educational experience of infants and toddlers; particularly with early stimulation and its effect on central nervous system development.

Play is the theater for learning, not just entertainment as educators once thought. In fact, it is a significant contributor to intellectual, emotional, language and social development. Without adequate opportunities for play, children can burn out from academic pressure. The following attributes of play are critical to driving emotional development.

1. Play affords the child endless opportunities for R & D [research and development]; to learn from his/her mistakes without having to pay for them
2. Play also benefits children’s physical development and perceptual-motor skills
3. Play promotes autonomy

In addition, when given several opportunities for exercise during the day, kids fidget and fuss less, concentrate more, feel better about themselves and behave considerably better in groups than their passive counterparts. Generally, daily exercise is best, and is shown to help language and social development in particular.

Not Enough Structured Play in Daycare, School and Home Environment

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is sounding alarms about the dramatic reduction in play time afforded children in the daycare, school and home settings.

They note the following:
1) 30,000 schools have recently replaced recess/play/arts/music with academics
2) Over the last 2 decades, children have lost 8 hours of unstructured play time from their week
3) 34% of kindergartens have eliminated recess since 2002

The next blog will detail how play should be included in a curriculum and how Goddard balances play with academics.