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A Quote
“A growing body of behavioral research establishes relationships between children’s play and development in several areas, including language (Toub et al. 2016), executive functions (Tominey & McClelland 2011), mathematics and spatial skills (Fisher et al. 2013), scientific thinking (Schulz & Bonawitz 2007), and social and emotional development (Dore, Smith, & Lillard 2015). One reason that play might be such a valuable pedagogical tool is that it features the precise contexts that facilitate learning.”
SOURCE: Brenna Hassinger-Das, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, The Case of Brain Science and Guided Play: A Developing Story
A Thought
So do we just let the kids loose?
It’s tempting, isn’t it, especially given the decline in free play that’s occurred over the last couple of decades. This is a great loss we should all be alarmed by.
But I’m not sure schools have the social licence to go that far. There are things parents expect their kids to ‘get’ from school.
So this leaves those of us who advocate for play in an uneasy position. How do we support kids to ‘get’ these things, while also embracing the power of play?
If this sounds familiar, perhaps this article on a ‘middle way’ - guided play - might be of interest to you.
An Action
Read the article! Pick one thing from it to bring into your practice, regardless of whether you’re a play-based classroom or not.