Via a recent piece entitled “Want Preschoolers To Become Successful? Allow Them To Play More” in the UCF Forum from columnist Kim Nassoiy, associate director of UCF’s Creative School for Children.
“Play is work to children. They want to use their senses to discover and explore. They want to figure out what something does or how it can be used. Think of it as “biology with a lab.” They don’t even want an adult’s help.
For those of you with children or who work with them, you know this to be true. Children are often saying to their adults “no” or “I can do it myself.”
Through play, children develop a love of learning. They are the facilitators of their own education. This is essential to becoming a lifelong learner.”
The bottom line is that play is essential and every learning experience is a learning experience that enhances their wide -eyed discovery of the world .
A Tip from my book “You’ve Got This!”
Let the Child Direct Dramatic Play – Allow your child to have control over their dramatic play experiences, but still be a willing participant in this play. Think of your child as the director and think of yourself as one of the actors. Enter into the conversation, ask questions, or play a role in your child’s dramatic play...just follow your child’s lead. This will help keep children engaged in play experiences so more learning can happen.
Remember: You’ve got this!