The Reason We Learn Through Play
By Erin Liebman School Psychologist/LCPC
Dating back to the beginning of time, play has been an integral component of childhood. As we have evolved, so has the progression of play. According to Fred Rogers, “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.” There is growing concern that the current generation of children is facing unparalleled challenges in the areas of obesity, inattention, hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression. While lifestyle has been cited as a catalyst for the increase in these etiologies, lack of natural play opportunities are partially to blame. There are years of research linking play to language development, social/emotional intelligence, problem solving, and motor coordination. When you invite George’s Gym into your home, it is not just play, rather the building blocks of childhood.
According to L.R. Knost, “For a child, it is in the simplicity of play that the complexity of life is sorted like puzzle pieces joined together to make sense of the world.” By partnering with George’s Gym, you are continuing to support the research behind the fun. Through their Tumbling and Fun Fitness Programs children are consuming the ingredients of healthy development.
According to L.R. Knost, “For a child, it is in the simplicity of play that the complexity of life is sorted like puzzle pieces joined together to make sense of the world.” By partnering with George’s Gym, you are continuing to support the research behind the fun. Through their Tumbling and Fun Fitness Programs children are consuming the ingredients of healthy development.
The Reason For School & Daycare Programs
In the state of Illinois, schools are required to provide social
emotional learning curriculums, tied to the common core standards. Prior to
children entering school, they have the opportunity to develop these skills,
free of charge, through play. Smilansky and Shefatya (1990) have cited that a
child’s ability to positively engage with peers and adults is vital to school
success, and play is the vehicle to social/emotional development. During play, children use verbal and
nonverbal communication by negotiating roles, joining ongoing play, and
appreciating the feelings of others.
They are forced to take turns, wait patiently, and share. These
opportunities also expose children to potential conflict situations, in which
they have to balance personal needs with the desires and wants of others’.
Pretend is an integral component of play vital to social/emotional development,
allowing children to express anger, sadness, and worry in a controlled
environment. In addition, it creates a venue for children to challenge rules
and conventions, by rehearsing expected and unexpected behaviors in a safe,
predictable manner (http://www.education.com).
There is growing concern that children are acquiring academics at a rate faster than years past; however, their development of problem-solving skills lags in comparison. Play is the mechanism for which children learn problem-solving skills. Convergent problem solving can be defined as the ability to bring a variety of isolated pieces of information together in order to identify a single solution. While convergent problem solving is correlated with performance on standardized measures of intelligence, perhaps more valuable is divergent problem solving, which is linked to creativity. This can be defined as the ability to begin at one starting point, and devise multiple solutions. Examples include things such as identifying all the uses for a paperclip, rubber band, or hanger. This type of problem solving can be fostered through object play. Examples of relevant play materials would include items such as blocks, Legos, and play dough, which can be used in a variety of ways. Open-ended toys allow children to develop flexibility in their thinking because there are multiple ways to use them. Pretend play, which is perhaps the best predictor of divergent problem solving, allows children to make believe and engage in fantasy. It was noted that children who demonstrate higher levels of pretend play evidence the most developed problem-solving skills. Researchers cite the link between divergent problem solving and pretend play may rest in the concept of decentration. Decentration can be defined as “the ability to attend simultaneously to many features of one’s environment, to transform objects and situations while at the same time understanding their original identities and states, to imagine at one and the same time things as they are and also as they were.” In reality, this means that a cardboard box being used as a car, in a child’s mind, is still recognized as a cardboard box (http://www.education.com/reference/article/play-creativity-problemsolving/). Another example might be a child using a stick as a magic wand, but yet he recognizes that it is simply a stick. George’s Gym prides itself on using pretend play as the foundation for learning. The majority of our games and activities are done simply using our imagination. Together, we build a fantasy world in which we teach skills tied to social, emotional, and cognitive development. Because children control many aspects of our imaginative play, creativity, independence, and problem solving skills are continuously fostered.
There is growing concern that children are acquiring academics at a rate faster than years past; however, their development of problem-solving skills lags in comparison. Play is the mechanism for which children learn problem-solving skills. Convergent problem solving can be defined as the ability to bring a variety of isolated pieces of information together in order to identify a single solution. While convergent problem solving is correlated with performance on standardized measures of intelligence, perhaps more valuable is divergent problem solving, which is linked to creativity. This can be defined as the ability to begin at one starting point, and devise multiple solutions. Examples include things such as identifying all the uses for a paperclip, rubber band, or hanger. This type of problem solving can be fostered through object play. Examples of relevant play materials would include items such as blocks, Legos, and play dough, which can be used in a variety of ways. Open-ended toys allow children to develop flexibility in their thinking because there are multiple ways to use them. Pretend play, which is perhaps the best predictor of divergent problem solving, allows children to make believe and engage in fantasy. It was noted that children who demonstrate higher levels of pretend play evidence the most developed problem-solving skills. Researchers cite the link between divergent problem solving and pretend play may rest in the concept of decentration. Decentration can be defined as “the ability to attend simultaneously to many features of one’s environment, to transform objects and situations while at the same time understanding their original identities and states, to imagine at one and the same time things as they are and also as they were.” In reality, this means that a cardboard box being used as a car, in a child’s mind, is still recognized as a cardboard box (http://www.education.com/reference/article/play-creativity-problemsolving/). Another example might be a child using a stick as a magic wand, but yet he recognizes that it is simply a stick. George’s Gym prides itself on using pretend play as the foundation for learning. The majority of our games and activities are done simply using our imagination. Together, we build a fantasy world in which we teach skills tied to social, emotional, and cognitive development. Because children control many aspects of our imaginative play, creativity, independence, and problem solving skills are continuously fostered.
The Reason For Tumbling
Motor coordination and development is heavily
influenced by children’s access to play. Fine motor skills involve the
coordination of small muscle movements that enable children to complete tasks
like manipulating objects, tying shoes, zipping jackets, and writing
(http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/sensory-play/developing-and-cultivating-skills-through-sensory-play/).
Conventional toys such as pegboards, puzzles, blocks, play dough, beads,
paintbrushes, and markers all support small muscle development and motor
memory. There are also countless ways to take everyday items and turn them into
fine motor play activities (http://theimaginationtree.com). For example,
children can dig items out of sand/play dough/rice, manipulate pipe cleaners to
create art projects, finger paint, construct jewelry from pasta/beads, and
explore sensory trays to draw shapes/letters (http://theimaginationtree.com/).
In addition to the development of fine motor skills, play also facilitates
gross motor skills. Gross motor skills refer to the large muscles of the body,
which are necessary for activities such as walking, running, pushing, pulling,
and throwing
(http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/sensory-play/developing-and-cultivating-skills-through-sensory-play.). There are countless naturally occurring play
activities that develop large muscles. Some examples include dancing, tumbling,
playing catch, climbing, jumping rope, gymnastics, and soccer
(http://familyfitness.about.com/od/preschoolers/a/grossmotorskill.htm). If you have a playroom, building obstacle
courses, climbing walls, balance beams, and swings are ways to make your home a
mecca of gross motor development for hours of fun. George’s Gym’s curriculum is
designed to allow gross and fine motor skills to flourish. This includes
activities that involve holding markers, applying stickers, throwing balls, and
tumbling. Our goal is to create that mind/body connection, and strengthen both
through play. By providing opportunities
to engage in physical activity, we hope to provide the necessary foundation to
ease the journey through childhood.
The Reason For Toddler Programs
Babies are playing, and developing language,
from birth. Initially, they watch and
listen. Babies watch your mouth as you
talk, along with facial expressions and body language. They listen to your sounds and sentences.
Once babies can explore, you continue playing, talking, labeling objects, and
describing actions. As babies transition
into towards toddlerhood, the listening and watching shifts to imitation of
actions and sounds. Though you may not realize it, clapping, waving, and moving
are actually pre-language skills. Soon, babies will advance from nonverbal
communication to cooing, babbling, and finally real words. All of the time spent narrating your actions,
and theirs, is the explicit teaching of foundational language skills. Once in
the throws of toddlerhood and preschool, you can incorporate open-ended toys
into play. These types of toys are driven by children’s actions, not batteries.
Some examples would include construction sets, blocks, kitchens, dollhouses,
stuffed animals, action figures, puppets, cars, and trains. These toys allow
you to create vivid play schemes, like restaurants, hospitals, castles, or
superheroes, in which rich vocabulary and concepts can be introduced (www.playingwithwords.365). With George’s Gym Parent/Child Program, our
activities are designed to meet your baby or toddler at their developmental
level. Based on an early childhood developmental
model, we are able to enhance their natural reflexes and instincts by teaching
new skills, that will feel like play! In
addition, we provide parents with tools and activities to incorporate into playtime,
enhancing development at home, outside of our classroom.
