It is no secret that the early years of a child’s life sets the stage for the rest of their development. These beginning years are incredibly important for brain development and set the stage for the rest of a child’s life. You may be surprised, however, to learn how much importance “play time” has on a child’s early development.
Learning through play is vital to laying the foundations for a child’s education. Through simple games such as peek a boo, stacking blocks, hide and seek, etc. children acquire various cognitive skills and gain first-hand educational experiences. As children play they develop their attention, perception, concentration, memory, and sensory and motor skills. Unstructured play allows for children to develop the necessary base for formal education and can help children develop a love for learning.
SOURCE: Educational Playcare
In addition, through playing children expand their imaginations and create a stronger relationship with the world around them. When children pretend to cook, fight mythical dragons, or reign over a magical kingdom they are actively developing their imagination and learning while they play. This imaginative play helps children develop problem solving skills and cooperation and logical thinking skills. Furthermore, through pretend play, children develop communication and problem solving skills while maneuvering within their imaginative worlds.
Through playing children are exposed to bigger educational topics such as math, science, and language. For example, when stacking and knocking over blocks children are exposed to concepts such as shapes, gravity, and counting. Furthermore, children are exposed to scientific concepts when playing outside, such as animal habitats, weather, the water cycle. Through reading and playing with toys, children develop their creative and innovative skills. All in all, while playing children are given the chance to solidify their understanding of the world around them and develop a passion for exploration and discovery.
SOURCE: Mulberry Learning
Furthermore, early childhood games are crucial for developing a child’s social skills. Through play, children learn how to interact with other children and peers. Play time in and out of the classroom is integral in creating friendships and camaraderie between children. Furthermore, children’s play time can be incredibly important for developing a child’s self-esteem and independence, needed to create healthier friendships and relationships in the future.
Overall, play is an undeniably important aspect of childhood development that should be seen not only outside school, but inside the classroom as well. Through classroom playtime, children are given the space to expand their interests and inquire about the world around them. During play time, teachers can facilitate learning and expansive thinking by encouraging problem solving, hypothesizing, and bringing students awareness to overarching educational topics such as mathematics, science, and literature. In order to facilitate learning through play parents and educators should create environments in which play-based learning is easily available and encouraged!