Experiences – Purposeful Play | Teach 'Em the Way They Learn

Purposeful Play – The link between play and learning in young children is a proven one – researched by the best in the business. The results of all brain research and the work of all learning scientists and theorists from the early 1900’s until present day prove that the brains of young children grow and learn best (making mental connections and neural pathways) through the active movement of their bodies, the exploration of the environment through their senses, the manipulation of appropriate objects with their hands (and feet and heads), the acts of designing and building, and the creation of personal expressions of language, art, music, and role play – not by rote memorization, sitting still at desks, working expressly with paper, pencil or computer keyboard, watching television or video, or listening to adult lectures.

There is no question about it – play in a physically, emotionally, and educationally safe environment with other children and with adults who appreciate their developmental natures and vulnerabilities – is how children learn best.

Purposeful Play consists of taking part in formal and informal experiences designed to lead to the building of specific strengths. It is play suited to a specific age level and it includes very specific components. Play is purposeful if the stage is set with purposeful activities that relate to your program’s stated learning objectives for the members of your particular class. Play is purposeful if it includes appropriate experiences that have all the right components, and the right amount of adult participation.

“Selling” Purposeful Play – Often early childhood educators find the need to champion the philosophy of learning through play, so to help teachers who feel the need to defend the incorrect stereotypical image of the “all they do is play” idea to parents, administrators, and some non-believers in our own ranks, here are some descriptions of how purposeful play developmentally leads to appropriate educational objectives in each of the Learning Areas (Body, Mind, and Spirit). kid play