Week of the Young Child

This past week, Parker’s PreK classrooms celebrated The Week of the Young Child, a nationally honored event amongst early childhood educators and the young children in their care. This week of acknowledgement was started by the NAEYC, and is held as much to honor the very young as it is to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood education. It is a week dedicated to celebrating what children can do for the world and what they are capable of.

Why is early childhood education so important? Our Director of Early Childhood, Leigh Augustine, explains “Early childhood education sets the foundation for a love of learning that will last a lifetime. The experience of being in an early childhood classroom is also often the first experience a child has in a community outside of the immediate family. This is where social skills develop, as well as the ability to be a productive, contributing citizen. People are their most creative selves during the period of early childhood, and the early childhood environment does much to encourage creative thought and curiosity through play and exploration with materials.”

The idea of PLAY is foundational to the early childhood experience here at Parker. Michele Ridgeway, Parker’s veteran PreK teacher explains, “Parents of children at our wonderful school embrace the culture of PLAY as integral to their child’s development. We offer many choices to the children in play, sometimes curating the materials, but always allowing the children time and space for their play. Sometimes a child will choose solitary play, sometimes they will join in a group. Sometimes a grown up is in the play space supporting children, but often the children are exploring and playing on their own terms. We look to give each child a sense of joy and meaning in their play.” In honor of our youngest students and in celebration of Parker’s culture of play in early childhood, we would like to share the following article* from the NEAYC that explores the five essential elements of play-based learning:

1. Children make their own decisions. When children choose how to play for themselves, they experience freedom in making those choices. They also begin to see connections between choice and the consequences or results of that choice. Open-ended materials can be used in many ways so children can decide for themselves how to use them. For example, a child can imagine a block to be a fire truck or any number of things. A toy fire truck, on the other hand, is usually used as a fire truck. Foam pieces, little wooden sticks, ribbon scraps, and other reusable resources are all open-ended materials that inspire creative thinking and delight when children use them to make something no one has ever made before.

2. Children are intrinsically motivated. The impulse to play comes from a natural desire to understand the world. This play impulse is as strong as your child’s desire for food or sleep. It is this intrinsic motivation that allows a child to regulate her own feelings and desires in order to keep playing. Because children eventually find it more important to be part of play with their friends than to satisfy their own wants and needs at that moment, children learn self-control. And self-control has been shown to lead to success in later years, especially in today’s information age, where distractions are part of daily life.

3. Children become immersed in the moment. In true play, children are so fully engaged that they lose awareness of their surroundings, time, and space. In this risk-free atmosphere where reality is suspended, children have the security and safety they need to experiment, try new ideas, and investigate the laws of nature. Although they are immersed in their play, children still can recognize reality versus fantasy, something parents often wonder about.

4. Play is spontaneous, not scripted. Often, play is totally unplanned. Other times, play is planned but a child impulsively makes a change. Sometimes, the planning is the play. One child changes his mind, or perhaps a toy does not cooperate. This sense of the unknown provides children with opportunities to develop flexibility in their thinking and decision making, which is a vital life skill.

5. Play is enjoyable. Play always has an emotional response attached to it. Without this emotional connection, the experience is simply an activity; it is not PLAY. Enjoyment is the direct result of engaging in play. It is FUN! In our classroom, we call the noise “happy noise!” because it’s PLAY. *Source: NAEYC Five Essentials to Meaningful Play