The Importance of Play in Early Childhood

 

    Parents, more than early childhood educators, frequently ask me what I am "teaching" their little one.  After all, everything I do in early intervention/early childhood special education looks like play.  And to adults, it is play.  Blowing bubbles, stacking blocks, having a birthday party in the dramatic play area, and exploring materials at the sensory table are all great ways to have fun.  They are also all great ways for a child to learn a variety of concepts.

The Benefits of Play

•  Children develop their sensory systems
• Learn to attend to activities
• Recognize the importance of following directions 
• Use creativity and imagination
• Improve gross and fine motor dexterity
• Increase strength
• Use cognitive skills to solve problems (eg: how to stack a tower so it doesn't fall)
• Learn to negotiate and compromise with peers
• Practice and engage in decision making
• Solve problems
• Invent solutions
• Facilitates natural curiosity about nature

But what do children learn from play?

    Let's start with sensory play.  I get this question most frequently.  How does sensory play benefit children who do not have "sensory needs?"

1. As a child plays with the sensory material, they develop fine motor, eye-hand, and hand-held coordination that they will need later for paper and pencil tasks in elementary school.
2. Science concepts and the scientific process of inquiry are developed as the child experiments with sensory materials and uses trial and error to discover the physical properties of the material.  (See http://tomsensori.blogspot.com/ for some great examples)
3. Language is developed as children discuss their play, share ideas, and clarify concepts.
4. Math skills are developed as children pour and measure the materials into different sized containers, as they use quantitative language to compare which holds more, less, or equal amount, or compare weight volume.
5. Social skills will be developed as the child plays cooperatively with others, shares, and takes turns.

 Block Play

1. Scientific principles and concepts (Balance, gravity, etc.)
2. Mathematical concepts (symmetry, shape, etc.)
3. Fine motor skills
4. Cooperation and social skills
5. Creativity

Dramatic Play (pretend play)

1. Language specific to the setting (eg: about space, fire stations, flower shops)
2. Sequential acts and story telling
3. Flexibility, cooperation, and compromise
4. Concentration and attention skills
5. Children gain an understanding of the world around them through pretend play

Arts and Crafts

1. Creativitiy
2. Pre-reading and pre-math skills (using small brushes, counting out materials they need)
3. Fine motor skills
4. Social skills
5. Emotional expression and exploration

     In this post, I have just picked out a few common early childhood play/learning areas.  If you would like more information on this topic, there are links below.  

NAEYC- Play research

Scholastic: What children learn through play

The Power of Play