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Signature Assignment: Learning Through Play

Amber Kalender

Fresno Pacific University

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For young children play is an essential part of their learning process. In many cases there

has been a shift in schools from play-based learning towards a more structured academic

approach to the education of young children. Though the academic direct instruction approach to

education is popular the research points to learning through play as the best way for young

children to learn about the world they live in.

In a typical day it is recommended that young children engage in 40 minutes of

unstructured play throughout the day, this however if often not the case. According to research,

on a typical day, children in all-day kindergartens spend four to six times as much time in

literacy and math instruction and taking or preparing for tests (about two to three hours per day)

as in free play or choice time (30 minutes or less).(Miller, Almon, & Alliance, 2009), by

examining the research of the lack of play young children in American are facing today it is

important to identify the benefits that children receive through play.

Children receive many benefits through play. Research has been able to identify that

when engaging in play childrens physical health, mental health, and academic capabilities all

benefit. Pediatricians throughout America are supporting unstructured play and are recognizing

the important benefits that children receive. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics,

Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and

physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development.

(The Importance of Play. 2017), pediatricians are now advocating to parents and educators to

recognize the importance of play in the development of young children. Along with publishing

research pediatricians are asking educators to be a partner in ensuring childrens participation in

unstructured and child led play. Child directed play is important because it has been proven to

promote problem solving skills, positive social development, and leadership skills as well.
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Because there are so many benefits directly related to the childs ability to participate in ample

play time an assumption can be made that there are many negative effects on a child when they

are denied sufficient play time.

Pediatricians are concerned about the effect of the lack of play in a young childs

development. Physical health is one area of development where medical professionals are seeing

the negative effects of restricted play times. The educational trend of direct instruction and

academic seatwork is a direct contributor to the rise in childhood obesity, which has many

negative effects on a childs physical development. The second component of a childs overall

well-being is the state of their mental health. Now that we expect young students to participate in

assessments and state tests there is now a direct correlation between the decline in play time and

the increase of behavior issues in the school setting. Restricting play time reduces the

opportunities that children have to interact with their peers in a meaningful group setting. During

child directed play children are able to make social connections, problem solve, and learn to

work as a member of a group, restricting this peer interaction can lead to poor mental health,

aggressive behaviors, and stress. Today examples of poor mental health in young children are

being documented as suspensions and explosions rise in preschool and kindergarten classrooms

across America, Connecticut schools suspended or expelled 901 kindergartners for fighting,

defiance, or temper tantrums. (Miller, Almon, & Alliance, 2009). In schools today children are

overworked and overstressed as a result of the modern day culture of seatwork and high stakes

assessments which leave little time for valuable pro-social interactions. Along with health

benefits there are also academic benefits that are related to children engaging in play.

Play in the classroom is often viewed as an unimportant factor in a childs education and

is often overlooked as the primary way a child can learn about the world. However, if one
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follows the data play based learning is a very effective method when education young children.

In a research study that examined how children in Malaysia are learning through unstructured

play important data was collected to further back the theory of play based curriculum which

stated, play contributes to preschoolers academic abilities in the areas of mathematics and

literacyhigher thinking ability and moral developmentchildren who engage in a complex

form of play have greater language skills, more empathythey are less aggressive and show

more self-control and a higher level of thinking.(Fatai, Faqih, & Bustan. 2014), play allows for

all of the developmental domains to be addressed within the child. The researchers who were

observing the children in Malaysia chose 30 students to observe with age ranges from 3-5 years

old. The children were observed by the researchers as they participated in unstructured play. In

order to ensure the data was valid protocols were put in place to ensure credible and quality

observations by recording the children and the observations with video cameras. The findings of

the study included, 1. Unstructured play enables young children to learn through cooperation. 2.

When children engage in unstructured play, they gain knowledge and experience through

imitation. 3. Unstructured play helps young children learn through trial and error, gaining new

insights. (Fatai, Faqih, & Bustan. 2014), the findings support the validity of play based learning

and should encourage educators to create safe environments where children can actively learn

and discover through play.

In the classrooms of young children art and physical activities play a crucial role in

educational process. Art and music can teach children an array of academic skills such as, cause

and effect, fine motor development, language development, and rhythm. Physical activities help

develop motor skills that are needed in order for children to develop muscles needed in order to

hold a pencil and write. The academic journal, Thinking, feeling and relating: Young children
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learning through dance, details how important physical activity and the arts are in the

development of young children, and in many ways expressive movement can be viewed as a

universal artistic language of children who use it to discover and learn about their worldThus

dance within an early childhood program has the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich

childrens learning. (Deans 2016), this viewpoint was the basis for a research group who studied

pre-school aged children and the role that dance played in their curriculum. The research showed

that, the childrens learning through dance was found to be holistic and integrated (Deans

2016). Overall the children were able to use their bodies in a physical way in order to express

their ideas and feelings with their bodies. While dancing the children had to utilize their

imagination to create dance moves and express themselves through their dance moves in a

nonverbal way. The way the educator used dance to allow the children to practice multiple skills

is a key example of how each activity should incorporate multiple developmental domains.

As educators the way we incorporate play into the classroom is equally important as the

act of play itself. Educators must be intentional in every aspect of their curriculum, The

intentional teacher supports both child-guided and adult-guided learning through provision of

resources and experiences; systems of knowledge that children cannot create on their own;

responses to requests for assistance; and the gathering of evidence to support further learning

(Chigeza & Sorin 2016). In a play based learning curriculum along with unstructured play the

educator should offer children meaningful opportunities to learn through guided play. Play

activities should incorporate multiple domains and may be unstructured where the children play

freely or the activity could be a guided play experience where the children are playing but are

slightly moved into a specific direction by a caregiver.

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An example of a guided play activity could be centered on the use of play dough in a

classroom. Inviting the children to participate in the creation of the play dough incorporates math

and science into the play as the children measure out ingredients and watch the chemical reaction

as the play dough is changing from liquid to solid as it cooks. The play dough activity will also

incorporate fine motor skills as the children explore and work the dough with their hands. During

this process of creating and exploring the play dough the opportunity for language development

is also occurring as the children are expressing their feelings about the dough and describing it.

Art and mathematics are also taking place as the children create sculptures from the dough and

explore geometric shapes such as a sphere and a cylinder as they roll the dough. Because the play

activity is also a group activity were multiple children are playing and interacting there is also a

social and emotional aspect to this activity as well.

As educators of young children it is a great responsibility to help young children

experiment and discover the world around them. Curriculum for young children should be

developmentally appropriate and centered on play. Unstructured play allows the children to take

control of their learning and develop meaningful social skills that they will use throughout their

lifespan while guided play allows educators to target a specific goal while still allowing for the

children to make their own discoveries. Ultimately rather than focusing on direct instruction and

seatwork in order to achieve desired test scores it is far more beneficial to the child to provide

them with meaningful play experiences that address the whole childs needs and place the focus

on creating well-balanced children who will grow into being well-balanced educated members of

society.
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Chigeza, P., & Sorin, R. (2016). Kindergarten Children Demonstrating Numeracy Concepts

through Drawings and Explanations: Intentional Teaching within Play-Based Learning.

Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(5), 65-77.

Deans, J. (2016). Thinking, feeling and relating: Young children learning through dance.

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 41(3), 46-57.

Fatai O., I. A., Faqih, A., & Bustan, W. K. (2014). Children's Active Learning through

Unstructured Play in Malaysia. Childhood Education, 90(4), 259-264.

Lieberman, V. H. (2007). Play at the center of the curriculum. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Miller, E., Almon, J., & Alliance for, C. (2009). Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need

to Play in School. Alliance for Childhood.

Ramani, G. B., & Eason, S. H. (2015). It All Adds Up: Learning Early Math through Play and

Games. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(8), 27-32.

The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong

Parent-Child Bonds. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182