The Power of Play
Play is a key instrument for the development of cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills in early age. It is considered to be the most important developmentally appropriate practice for young children.
A substantial body of recent research backs this up. And yet, in the drive to get children ready for school, many preschools and kindergartens become too focused on formal instruction at the expense of play time. At ICCC we try to strike a balance by providing lots of opportunities for high quality play, and also by making sure all pre planned learning activities involve play.
Because the best learning happens through play! Here are some of the reasons why we should let children play more:
Play helps cognitive development
Imaginative and rule-based play strengthen working memory, self control and flexible thinking
Pretent play helps children practice planning, perspective-taking and problem-solving
- Role play promotes symbolic thinking, narrative skills and vocabulary growth
- Playing with blocks and puzzles stimulates spacial awareness, counting, patterns and other key math skills
- Experimenting and enquiry based play foster curiosity and mirror scientifc exploration
Play builds emotional and social skills
- Children learn to manage impulses through rules based play and collaborative play
- Empathy and social skills are developed in role playing as children begin to understant other’s emotions and points of view
- Resilience and confidence are supported through play as it involves risk taking, making mistakes and provides stress relief and mental well being
Play helps physical growth
- Outdoor play promotes physical health, helps develops gross motor skills, muscle strength and coordination
- It helps children become aware of the environment and assess risk
- It encourages independence and risk taking
Supporting Children To Develop Play Skills
When children are in their twos and threes they may need support in developing play skills. As nursery teachers often observe, some children already have good play skills when they start attending daycare, and others lack the ability to engage in meaningful play or sustain play for a longer time. Helping kids learn how they can engage objects, materials ot toys, and how they can build and enrich their play, involves intentional guidance, a well-prepared environment, and responsive interactions by teachers and parents.
At this age, children are beginning to shift from solitary and parallel play when they each do their own thing, toward more interactive and imaginative play.
In our next article we will share how preschool teachers can help children build strong play skills.
Snezhana Daneva is a Director at ICCC since September 2010. She gained experience in teaching, marketing and client relations, as well as cultural diplomacy and regional project management after a diverse career at the British Council in Bulgaria and in the UK. She worked as a volunteer in not-for-profit organizations related to child birth and child care.
Snezhana has MA in Education Management and MA in English and American Studies from Sofia University, and Management Certificate and Diploma from Open University, UK. Her recent Education Management degree thesis focused on children’s social-emotional development in the early years, comparing government standards and practice in Bulgaria and in the United Kingdom.