As your child emerges from toddlerhood and gets ready for preschool, you’re likely to have all the feels. Sadness over your baby growing up. Pride in your intelligent little human. Anxiety over getting their education started out on the right foot.
This last one is the clincher. Although pre-K enrollment isn’t mandatory for Ohio children, research shows it improves school readiness, and the state is backing it up with funding to improve preschool access to 3- and 4-year-olds. As a result, the number and types of preschool programs available can be overwhelming: half-day, whole-day, full-week, partial-week, STEM curriculums, literacy-focused instruction. With all these things to think about, it may be easy to overlook one very important aspect of your child’s academic development that should be part of their preschool experience: play.
The Work of Children
Believe or not, play is critical to a preschooler’s learning. As they say, “Play is the work of children,” and it’s true. Through play, children develop a number of critical skills that set them up for academic success in kindergarten and beyond, including:
- Creativity
- Communication
- Complex language abilities
- Problem-solving and reasoning
- Relationship-building
- Spatial awareness
- Impulse control
- Increased attention
Yes, your child can really get all of that from playing with blocks and performing puppet shows.
“Research shows us that humans learn best when able to take an active role in their learning, have direct and hands-on experience with the materials, when it is meaningful to the learner and when it is offered in a social context,” says Kristi Kirinch, an early learning consultant in Dayton. “This sounds like play!”
As your child emerges from toddlerhood and gets ready for preschool, you’re likely to have all the feels. Sadness over your baby growing up. Pride in your intelligent little human. Anxiety over getting their education started out on the right foot.
This last one is the clincher. Although pre-K enrollment isn’t mandatory for Ohio children, research shows it improves school readiness, and the state is backing it up with funding to improve preschool access to 3- and 4-year-olds. As a result, the number and types of preschool programs available can be overwhelming: half-day, whole-day, full-week, partial-week, STEM curriculums, literacy-focused instruction. With all these things to think about, it may be easy to overlook one very important aspect of your child’s academic development that should be part of their preschool experience: play.
The Work of Children
Believe or not, play is critical to a preschooler’s learning. As they say, “Play is the work of children,” and it’s true. Through play, children develop a number of critical skills that set them up for academic success in kindergarten and beyond, including:
- Creativity
- Communication
- Complex language abilities
- Problem-solving and reasoning
- Relationship-building
- Spatial awareness
- Impulse control
- Increased attention
Yes, your child can really get all of that from playing with blocks and performing puppet shows.
“Research shows us that humans learn best when able to take an active role in their learning, have direct and hands-on experience with the materials, when it is meaningful to the learner and when it is offered in a social context,” says Kristi Kirinch, an early learning consultant in Dayton. “This sounds like play!”
While, according to Kirinch, play means children are free to engage with and manipulate their environment, it can take a couple different forms in the classroom: child-selected play (aka free play) — think your child playing house or making mud pies — or adult-directed play, as in this example from Kirinch:
“If I am wanting children to learn about different types of apples, or perhaps to practice their comparison skills with these apples, I simply would not provide them with a worksheet with pictures of apples. I would provide them with the apples to taste, smell, explore, touch.”
Maybe they play a game where they count the apples, or cut them in half for making apple stamps — anything that follows the interests of the child and builds on their natural curiosities.
[gdlr_quote align=”center” ]“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” —Mr. Rogers[/gdlr_quote]
Decisions, Decisions
So back to making that difficult choice: Where to send your child to preschool?
As with all decisions, it’s important to figure out what you want out of the preschool experience. Every child has unique needs, and it may benefit you to list out some qualities you expect out of a program before you begin your search. If an emphasis on play is important to you — and if you believe the research, it should — be ready to ask questions of the various preschool programs you visit:
What is the curriculum? A school that focuses heavily on academics and worksheets may not be the best environment for a child to engage in play.
What is the program’s philosophy on play? Do they consider play to be essential to learning in the early years? Is at least a third of the day (hopefully more) devoted to play?
What is the daily routine like? Ask to observe a classroom, recommends Kirinch. Are children engaged in various learning activities? Is a variety of materials available to children? Are different areas of the room set up for play? If a large part of the day is devoted to group activities, this could indicate a lack of play time.
Do the teachers articulate a difference between child-led and directed play? Observe if the teachers are engaged and asking open-ended questions of children during play — this can be helpful in developing critical thinking, Kirinch says. However, be skeptical of those that are too hands-off or overly involved in directing play.
Homework Time
Regardless of where you send your child to preschool, your home is one of the richest learning (and play!) environments for your child, so don’t let the fun stop when the school bell rings. Allow time on evenings and weekends to play as a family.
First things first: Turn devices off. When your kids aren’t caught up in the drama of a television show or a video game, their imaginations have room to soar. Play doesn’t have to be overly complicated. There’s no need to “entertain” your kids, and you can include fun in some of the normal parts of your routine.
“Take walks, and play ‘I spy’ games while on those walks,” Kirinch says. “While at the grocery store, have your child help you select the needed items.”
Sing songs together. Cook together. Above all, enjoy being a family together. Before you know it, they will be off in the real world, and you’ll miss this cherished time.
While, according to Kirinch, play means children are free to engage with and manipulate their environment, it can take a couple different forms in the classroom: child-selected play (aka free play) — think your child playing house or making mud pies — or adult-directed play, as in this example from Kirinch:
“If I am wanting children to learn about different types of apples, or perhaps to practice their comparison skills with these apples, I simply would not provide them with a worksheet with pictures of apples. I would provide them with the apples to taste, smell, explore, touch.”
Maybe they play a game where they count the apples, or cut them in half for making apple stamps — anything that follows the interests of the child and builds on their natural curiosities.
Decisions, Decisions
So back to making that difficult choice: Where to send your child to preschool?
As with all decisions, it’s important to figure out what you want out of the preschool experience. Every child has unique needs, and it may benefit you to list out some qualities you expect out of a program before you begin your search. If an emphasis on play is important to you — and if you believe the research, it should — be ready to ask questions of the various preschool programs you visit:
What is the curriculum? A school that focuses heavily on academics and worksheets may not be the best environment for a child to engage in play.
What is the program’s philosophy on play? Do they consider play to be essential to learning in the early years? Is at least a third of the day (hopefully more) devoted to play?
What is the daily routine like? Ask to observe a classroom, recommends Kirinch. Are children engaged in various learning activities? Is a variety of materials available to children? Are different areas of the room set up for play? If a large part of the day is devoted to group activities, this could indicate a lack of play time.
Do the teachers articulate a difference between child-led and directed play? Observe if the teachers are engaged and asking open-ended questions of children during play — this can be helpful in developing critical thinking, Kirinch says. However, be skeptical of those that are too hands-off or overly involved in directing play.
Homework Time
Regardless of where you send your child to preschool, your home is one of the richest learning (and play!) environments for your child, so don’t let the fun stop when the school bell rings. Allow time on evenings and weekends to play as a family.
First things first: Turn devices off. When your kids aren’t caught up in the drama of a television show or a video game, their imaginations have room to soar. Play doesn’t have to be overly complicated. There’s no need to “entertain” your kids, and you can include fun in some of the normal parts of your routine.
“Take walks, and play ‘I spy’ games while on those walks,” Kirinch says. “While at the grocery store, have your child help you select the needed items.”
Sing songs together. Cook together. Above all, enjoy being a family together. Before you know it, they will be off in the real world, and you’ll miss this cherished time.