Why We Play
- willowandoakelc
- Nov 8, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Sticks become swords or wrenches. Pots and big spoons morph into a top-of-the-line drum set. Pillows and couch cushions transform into the brick walls of a castle, and with just a pinch of imagination, a cardboard box takes flight into space.
If there's one thing that's consistent across all cultural, geographical, and economic lines, it's that children are hardwired to play.
The cool thing about play, though, is that it's never frivolous. Children are experiential learners. As they engage in play in all its forms, their brains are working overtime making connections, building a better understanding of the world and how it works, and strengthening skills. Play allows children to do amazing things, such as:
building social skills (turn-taking in conversation, sharing, how to listen to others)
building emotional skills (empathy, regulating emotions)
building physical skills (coordination, balance and agility, pincer grasp)
increasing cognitive skills (absorbing new information, strengthening imagination, problem-solving, decision-making)
processing experiences and emotions
reinforcing prior learning, and
regulating emotions
Why is this important? Because if we know how children learn, we can tailor their learning environments to give them the tools they need to keep learning. Like anything else, learning is a skill. The more they do it, the better they get at it. We can take the concepts that we want them to learn, create meaningful and inviting ways for them to engage with those concepts, and support their natural curiosity and desire to explore as we ask questions, make observations, and encourage their journey. Before you know it, they're engaging in pretty sophisticated cognitive processes that just feel like play.
At Willow and Oak Early Learning Center, play is kept at the center of learning. No matter what we're learning about, we find ways to get children to interact with the content either through curated activities that are designed to pique their curiosity and invite them to explore, or by engaging with them in their free play through asking questions, prompting ideas, and supporting them as they make connections. This kind of learning can be non-linear and messy, but it results in deeper learning as children are able to internalize information and relate it to what they already know.
The end result is children who are learning joyfully, and that is our ultimate goal.
For more information on the science of play and learning, check out these resources:
Til next time,
Brooke