Joyester

It is essential to play. We adults cause irreparable damage to children when we ignore the fact that children learn through play. Play is self-directed, open-ended exploration and discovery. During play, children use what’s available, decide what they want to do, and put their energy into it. In the face of a challenge, they assess the situation, rethink possibilities, and proceed accordingly. They develop creativity, problem-solving skills, and executive planning abilities through play. Playing with others, they learn vital social skills: how to articulate their ideas, to listen to others, cooperate, compromise, respect.

Throughout our Pinterest board Children Learn While Playing, PlayopolisToys has pinned articles demonstrating the value of play and lamenting its decline. A reprint of a speech by Nancy Carlson-Paige, author of Taking Back Childhood, is included among these pins.With more than thirty years of teaching experience, she describes her dismay at current practices that limit children’s opportunity to experience unstructured, “free play” by stating, “I never in my wildest dreams imagined we would have to defend children’s right to play.” Yet we do.

Valerie Strauss, writing in The Washington Post, reprints Carlson-Paige’s speech when accepting the prestigious Deborah Meier Hero in Education Award. Take a look at what she said. Your passion for play will be validated if you are a proponent.  You’ll find plenty to think about if you haven’t given the issue much thought.

Find out what children can learn from traditional open-ended play with blocks, bubbles, puzzles, and play dough.