A Case for Play In School
In the Sunday, May 3 edition of the New York Times Magazine, Peggy Orenstein writes about the rise of testing and academics, and the demise of play in kindergarten. Her article, Kindergarten Cram, prominently features an important report published in March by the Alliance for Childhood. The report, Crisis in the Kindergarten; Why Children Need to Play in School, struck a note with Orenstein.
She shares her own experience seeking a school environment that would better honor the natural pace of childhood- one not imposing the characteristics of academia more appropriate for middle and high schoolers onto children under the age of 10. Here’s an excerpt:
Instead of digging in sandboxes, today’s kindergartners prepare for a life of multiple-choice boxes by plowing through standardized tests with cuddly names like Dibels (pronounced “dibbles”), a series of early-literacy measures administered to millions of kids; or toiling over reading curricula like Open Court – which features assessments every six weeks.
How did we get so confused?
We’ve been told in no uncertain terms what is good for children, and yet we somehow completely misconstrued the message!
Reems of research show that early childhood presents crucial windows for optimum development. But from this opportunity, we’ve come to think that the most valuable learning we can impart during those crucial years is the most academic.
Why? Many think, and I agree, that this is the stuff that can be easily quantitatively measured. With our good intentions – to improve schools overall – we’ve lost sight of the very essential and foundational learning that comes through play and discovery, the learning that prepares a 4 and a 6 year old for the academics to follow.
We at Little Little Little company believe that preschool and school age children, now more than ever, need a variety of play experiences that empower and provide opportunities for trial and error, adventure and cooperation.
Children are wired for discovery! They need unstructured playtime with a few good, open ended “props” to promote their sense of wonder and honor their urge to explore. It’s up to us parents, grandparents and neighbors to help carve out protected time for play, following the lead of the child.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:54 am
My own tale of mothering a 5 year old who was fascinated with counting and numbers shows that the misunderstanding about development vs. “academics” was at work almost 3 decades ago!
I reported to my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher that she had an almost unquenchable hunger for numbers and math and that I could use more ideas on how to keep her interested and having fun. (My observation was based on her “need” to predict how many pancakes we would consume at breakfast, given the multiples she thought we’d each consume, or how many steps it would take to get upstairs if she could straddle two at a time vs. three at a time. Not quantum physics, but intriguing to a first time mom).
The teacher solemnly reported to me a week later that my 5 year old had “failed” the test she administered to discern her math skills: a page of addition and subtraction facts! Clearly, she was not ready for real math. And all I wanted was games and play that captivated her already present interest!
September 29th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Another great article on play appeared this weekend in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27tools-t.html?_r=1&em
Development of “executive function” is positively related to play experiences. Author Paul Tough reports that the “ability of young children to control their emotional and cognitive impuses…is a remarkably strong indicator of both short-term and long-term success, academic and otherwise.”
Tell us what you think!!!