Where Do The Children Play?

After viewing this documentary, my belief in the value of play for children came to mind. As a child development specialist, I have studied and conducted experiments with play relative to maximizing children's holistic development. Play has been defined as children's work and has historically been validated as the most powerful tool in the social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development of young children and as the central vehicle in providing exemplary early childhood programs. The National Association for The Education of Young Children's Position Statement, edited by Sue Bredecamp in1987, reiterated this view in describing developmentally appropriate practices for children 0-8. Whether constructive, exploratory, or dramatic in nature, play experiences are key for young children in developing skills and dispositions for emerging cognitive skills, social competence, and valuing of creativity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

With the continued explosion of test mania, teacher accountability, and initiatives such as No Child Left Behind legislation, play is an endangered species or is extinct from early childhood programs. Despite the validation of the value of play in children's development, I do not believe that public schools fully embraced this theory as a powerful instructional strategy.

In North Carolina, the inception of full day kindergarten programs in the early 70's saw classroom environments filled with blocks, dramatic play areas, learning centers, water play, painting, messy areas, music, art, and the sounds of children working. Slowly, the pressure to eliminate these types of environments that facilitated young children's learning through play (which were viewed as a waste of time by many) and to concentrate more on academic skills in the classroom via worksheets, abstract instructional strategies, television and computers instruction, play became more devalued.

Disdain for play found its way even to America's school playgrounds. Denying children recess or physical education has become a tool of discipline for children not completing classwork or for children misbehaving. Paradoxically, these children, as do all children, need outside physical activity each day. Physical education in the schools has been the only means for play, outside activities or exercise, particularly for children living in unsafe neighborhoods. The dramatic rise in childhood obesity, I believe is a direct correlate to this issue.

I view the the valuing of play for children in much the same manner that I view time for reflection in the lives of adults. We do not have time for children to play because their is so much to get them "ready for" or parent's schedules are move complicated to negotiate and and with adults, we do not have or take quiet time or time for reflection because there is "so much to do". In children, play facilitates creativity and with adults, quiet and reflection time also yields creativity, as well as productivity. http://www.blogger.com/www.citeulike.org/user/dcambrid/article/771756%20-%2026k

Let the children play and to my colleagues, take time for reflection!