Play, the Heart of Early Learning

If ever there was a morning that exemplified why young children need long stretches of time to fully play. Last Monday and Tuesday, Tamara attended the Quaker Early Childhood Educators Peer Network conference, and the second day was devoted to play and learning. Peg Szczurek shared current research on how young children's brain develop, and what part play has in this development. Essentially, this new research is affirming what early childhood educators have long known: that play, for its own sake, is essential to brain development and later academic success. In fact, without many of the social, self-regulation, language, and cognitive functions developed in play, children will not be ready for academic learning. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a comprehensive Position Statement on Play, and it is worth checking it out to understand just how important play is in the learning development of young children.

And so, stepping off my soap box, I will share with you how the morning unfolded. Most mornings one or two children will query Tamara, "What should we put on the tables?" Tossing the question back to them, they will often have a suggestion, and today the suggestion was for "something gooey, something different." And so we pulled flour, water, and cornstarch out of the kitchen and got to work making a gooey mess.

A little bit later, a few children decided to be super heros, which soon morphed into princes and princesses, who donned royal capes. Some children chose to be royal pets like puppies and birds. In this play, some more experienced players set the scene, literally laying out large pieces of fabric on the ground for the princes and princesses. Some of the less experienced players filled in around the edges, barking or chirping their parts.

The children were so engaged in their work and play that Tamara and Fran made the executive decision not to interrupt them for Morning Meeting. Instead we set out snack and let the players continue their work.
The results were amazing! The Turtles remained deeply engaged, returning to work in different areas multiple times, each time using their social negotiation skills, their experimentation skills, their language skills, and their fine motor skills.


Here are some images from their work:

 And in Dramatic Play:

Other Activities:

 Cupcakes from Paddy!

Animal Boogie

 Freeze Dance

tee ball

Duck Duck Goose

Hide and Seek