Part 1: Is Learning Academics Early the Indicator of Success?

As a preschool teacher, we ask parents for any developmental/learning goals they have for their children that we could work on with them. Many of the goals that we receive focus on letter recognition, counting numbers, writing their name, and learning sight words. Of course we try to meet these goals, while also allowing the children to explore their interests and play with others, but we still often hear that parents are working on their goals at home with using flash cards, worksheets, and attending other preschools that are more “academic” based. We are glad to hear that these parents are invested in their children’s education and helping them achieve their goals, but there is so much more to a child’s development than just the academics.

If children were to focus a majority of their early years on academics, some will not be able to have much time to explore, or even find, their own interests, and some may not even learn anything at all because the concepts are too abstract for their understanding. Some of these children are forced to learn something that would please adults instead of themselves. Some of their brains cannot process, learn, or even focus enough to do worksheets on their own or even flashcards with an adult. Some are simply not ready developmentally to understand these academic concepts.

The academics, while important, does not define the whole child. We need to take into consideration their physical development, where they are cognitively, how well they socialize and regulate their emotions. These are some characteristics that make up who children will become. I once heard from a professor of mine that Kindergarten teachers would rather have children come into their classroom who know how to regulate their emotions and have good social skills than knowing the letters, numbers, and pre-reading skills.

So what is the indicator of a child’s success?

I really admire a quote that Friedrich Froebel, the creator and educator of Kindergarten, said regarding children’s development, “A child who plays thoroughly and perseveringly, until physical fatigue forbids, will be a determined adult, capable of self-sacrifice both for his own welfare and that of others.” It is interesting to think that play can allow a child to thrive and learn in many areas. David Elkind, a professor at Tufts University, describes a great representation of what we, as adults, might think regarding children’s play:

“In our hurried and hurrying society, we have come to think of play as a luxury at best and a waste of precious time at worst. From our adult perspective, we often associate play with fun and relaxation in contrast to the attention and effort required of us by work. All too often, however, we mistakenly project our grown-up conception of play onto the play of children. Yet for children in general, and for young children in particular, self-initiated play is a basic mode of learning. Through such play, children create new learning experiences that they might not otherwise encounter.”

Something that lots of preschool teachers hear from others is, “All you do is play?” It is not necessarily all that we do, but it is a major and important part of a child’s development. Pathways.org gives a great list of many skills children can develop through play. They will:

• Know what to do when no one is directing them
• Be able to enhance problem solving skills
• Increase creativity and imagination
• Interact with others and negotiate better
• Build resilience
• Be flexible and adaptable
• Take risks and try different scenarios
• Process emotions better
• Understand social situations better
• Discover their own interests

An interesting fact regarding children’s learning and development through play goes to something Johann Christoph Arnold said in his book Their Name is Today. He mentioned that the children in Finland do not start their formal education until they are seven years old. Prior to that age, they are playing and exploring. As a result, they have the highest scores at the top of world education rankings. It is interesting that just playing can help children be ready to be top scoring students in education. But it is not just any kind of play they do. It is a free, child-directed play. This involves letting them choose what they want to do, explore what they find interesting, do problem solving, and make discoveries based on what they have learned. Maria Sonnenberg quoted Dr. Walter Drew, director of Brevard’s Reusable Resources Adventure Center, in Florida Today saying that, “Play is primarily about freedom, exploration, invention and discovery, which is the groundwork for developing essential life skills,…Without rich play experiences in early childhood, it is less likely children will develop a life-long love of learning and authentic self-competence.”

I can name several examples I have seen of exploring and discovering in play, but there is one example I can think of that describes perfectly this kind of play.

There is one boy in our preschool who really enjoys working with blocks, legos, and especially ramps. This one day, he made a structure using PVC pipes and a long wooden ramp. He held the wooden ramp next to connected pipes going toward the ground. When he rolled a marble down the ramp, it would roll into the pipe and come out the other end on the ground. He was really proud of his invention, but was not satisfied. “I want something to hold this ramp so I do not have to keep holding it,” he said. I asked what we could use to hold the ramp. After a moment of thinking and guidance, he exclaimed, “I have an idea! Let’s use the bigger blocks to stack on top of a chair!” He grabbed a chair nearby, stacked blocks on top of the chair, and was able to lay the ramp on top. Other children noticed this invention and wanted to join along in building the ramp more and roll marbles down the ramp. The boy directed the children what to do and allowed them to join in testing and playing with his creation.

In this example, we can first see he was engaged in something he was interested in: blocks. We can also see he was learning and experimenting with this invention and thinking of what he could do to hold the ramp in place. He was able to exhibit problem solving, discovering what worked, and increase social skills. How can this example of play relate to success? Dr. Pamela Phelps, Vice-President of The Creative Center for Childhood Research and Training, studies and advocates for block play, said that, “Research has consistently shown that block play supports the development of mathematical thinking, social skills, abstract thinking, creativity, and most recently literacy.”

There are many other forms of play that children will still gain those same skills mentioned. Letting children lead in pretend play, science experiments, outdoor play, art activities, and many more can help children express their creativity, develop motor skills, build social and emotional skills, increase problem solving ability, and even learn pre-literacy and mathematical concepts in a concrete way.

Play is the answer to where you can start when children are young. Let them explore their interests, let them find and discover, let them learn about the world around them. They will become more prepared physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. They will be able to understand literacy and mathematics so much more when they have developed holistically. So what can you do to get the most out of your children’s playtime? Pathways.org also gives a great list of ideas to enhance play:

• Limit your children’s screen time
• Bring your children outside
• Allow your children to make mistakes
• Give your children free time to play outside of school and organize activities
• Let your children make choices about games, activities, and toys
• Encourage their use of imagination
• Offer new challenges if your children are bored or help them when they are frustrated
• Provide encouragement and support

So what choice are you going to make? What developmental/learning goals are you going to set for your children? I’d like to end with a profound statement from Johann Christoph Arnold, author of Their Name is Today, that perfectly summarizes play and education:

“Every child is different. Each has a unique set of abilities, created for a special purpose. So why force a common education standard on them? We know children learn best through playing, but play also brings joy, contentment, and detachment from the troubles of the day. In our frantically, over-schedules culture, every child should have a right to play.”

References

Anderson, Johann Christoph (2014). Their name is today. Walden, New York: Plough Publishing House.

Elkind, David (2009). Learning through play. Community Playthings. http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2009/learning-through-play

Sonnenberg, Maria (2018). Research finds play vital to turning out healthy, well-adjusted children — and adults. Florida Today. https://www.floridatoday.com/story/life/2018/02/21/research-finds-play-vital-turning-out-healthy-well-adjusted-children-and-adults/361051002/

Phelps, Pamela (2013). Why play with blocks? Community Playthings. http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2013/why-play-with-blocks

Play. Pathways.org. https://pathways.org/topics-of-development/play/