As a early education student, I had to learn the purpose of play and the role it has in education. Prior to my courses, I had not really thought of the connection between play and learning. The power of play is enormous in the how children learn and develop. Through play children learn social skills, math, science, and a host of other material. Play is a way for children to freely explore their environment and manipulate the things in their environment.
If given the right material, a great deal of learning can take place at any given time through play. One of the greatest parts of play, in my opinion, is the peer play. In peer play, the children are talking to each other and helping spark each others' interest in the "game" or whatever they are engaged in. Also, they learn to work together to accomplish their goals. The dialogue that may take place during play is an excellent way to improve and express communication skills. In many cases, the children are working off each other and in some cases, there will the instance when children are helping each other. Peers can be our best teachers. Children learning from their partners can surely improve the learning of the skills in which they are engaged at that time.
Play is not just a time for children to play with dolls, trucks, or what have you. In close observation, a great deal can learned from the play children. Children are learning and practicing many skills that are important to their academic success and their lives.
In looking for resources on this topic, I came across an article
Back-to-Basics: Play in Early Childhood by Jill Englebright Fox, Ph.D. at http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=240. In which she discusses some theories on play, the role of the teacher in play, and the value of play in early childhood. I found this quote to be very pertinent in the role of play: Frost (1992) concurred, stating that "play is the chief vehicle for the development of imagination and intelligence, language, social skills, and perceptual-motor abilities in infants and young children" (p. 48). I believe Frost position on education is similar to my opinion of play.
On the other hand, I do not believe play is only important in early childhood. Adults play, teenagers play, and it allows us to release our energy. I think play belongs in many aspects of life. A form of play in a classroom other than an early childhood classroom can be science experiments in which students are taking parts of the environments and experimenting with them. Recess is an excellent form of play for older children in middle school. School age children still need down time. Play should not just be limited to early childhood classroom. Of course, there may be the thought of how would play fit into a middle classroom or a high school classroom? Well, the answer is that it can fit quite easily. As I stated, play can be scientific exploration; it can also be trying to solve a mathematical equation as a group. There are many opportunities to incorporate "play" in the curriculum.
I read another article on play: The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds by Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd and the Committee on Communications and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;119/1/182#SEC2. One point the article made was that "as they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges." This statement reflects an important role of play. Through trial and error as well as mastery of new skills, children gain confidence in their abilities as well as competency and are able to adapt and succeed in various situations. Play is more than just a time to run loose and get dirty, it can be a time to increase skill, learn material and gain confidence. Play in itself can add to all the content areas.
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I think play is important in any classroom. That is why so many teachers use games for learning or as review. In my school, we have a Jeopardy game that the kids love. They form teams and have to communicate with each other for the answers in a short period of time. They love it. Math is a great subject for play also. When kids are engaged in play they often don't even realize they are learning.
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