Play Time: The Game of Learning from Edutopia.com
October 1st, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Children need to play. This observation might seem obvious, but lately, it is my rallying cry. It has to be. There is so much discussion among parents and educators about the relative benefits of academic versus developmentally appropriate preschools, and as testing rules the day, proponents of the academic model seem to be gaining ground.
But I am a parent, and I have been a preschool teacher for more than twenty years, and my experience and training tell me one thing loud and clear.
Children need to play.
They need to build with blocks, role-play with dolls and cooking tools, assemble tracks for trains, dabble in paint, jump up and down, ride tricycles, smush playdough, dig in sand, splash in water. They need to negotiate with ladders, slides, and each other. Take turns. Dress up. Cook.
