dupey00
said:
Educational theory has proven the importance of play at the preschool level. 3-5 year olds are still concrete-operational learners whereby the physical and experiential aspect of play touches children's innate understanding at this age. Play deepens the experience. It is also an avenue for young learners to gain important Kindergarten Readiness skills in a developmentally appropriate fashion. Gross motor, fine motor, social-emotional, and cognitive skills are developed and fine tuned through play. Through play, the imagination is activated resulting in creativity and a solid foundation of future success.
Well put. And the same applies to the necessity of play at the kindergarten level (and beyond). That's why it's so troubling to read the results of studies, such as that of the Alliance for Childhood, that document decreasing time for play in kindergarten. Luckily, the study is also accompanied by a policy brief that provides guidelines for restoring play to US kindergartens.