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Play Today
You say you love your children,
And are concerned they learn today?
So am I - that`s why I`m providing
A variety of kinds of play.
You`re asking me the value
Of blocks and other such play?
You`re children are solving problems.
They will use that skill everyday.
You`re asking what`s the value
Of having your children play?
Your daughter`s creating a tower;
She may be a builder someday.
You`re saying you don`t want your son
To play in that "sissy" way?
He`s learning to cuddle a doll;
He may be a father someday.
You`re questioning the interest centers;
They just look like useless play?
Your children are making choices;
They`ll be on their own someday.
You`re worried your children aren`t
learning;
And later they`ll have to pay?
They`re learning a pattern for learning;
For they`ll be learners always
Leila P. Fagg
Parents often feel that
their children are not learning anything when they are "just playing."
However, this is part of your child's learning experience. There are
lots of wonderful things learned when they are playing.
WHEN YOUR CHILD BUILDS WITH
BLOCKS:
She learns to use her imagination
to create something from her own thinking.
She has the satisfaction of being
able to make something.
She learns about sizes and shapes, weights and balances, height and
depth,
smoothness and roughness.
She is exercising her body.
She learns to play with others.
He is more concerned with the
process he is going through than with a
finished product. This is how it
should be for this stage in his development.
He learns about colors and how he
can use them.
He learns to use his imagination
and transfers his ideas to paper.
He gets emotional satisfaction
from being able to express himself.
He learns how to use small muscle
coordination to handle a brush.
He learns to make choices and
decisions.
WHEN YOUR CHILD PLAYS ON THE
OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT:
She learns how to use her body
effectively.
She experiences joy in achieving
a skill.
She has fun and relaxation found
in bodily movement.
She learns the limitations of her
body.
She learns safety and caution.
She learns to take turns and to
share a piece of equipment.
WHEN YOUR CHILD PLAYS IN THE
HOUSEKEEPING CORNER:
He learns what the roles of
mothers and fathers and children are.
He understands what it feels like
to play at being somebody other than
He learns how to use his
imagination.
He learns how to cooperate with
other children.
WHEN YOUR CHILD MAKES A GIFT OUT
OF PAPER AND PASTE:
She learns about doing things for
others.
She learns how to use materials
like scissors and paste/glue.
She learns how to use her
imagination to make the kind of present she has in
mind. Again, the process, not the
finished product, is important to her.
She learns about shapes, sizes,
colors, and textures.
WHEN YOUR CHILD PLAYS IN THE SAND
He finds it soothing to bury his
hands in sand and pour sand in and out of cups, buckets and other
containers.
He is able to relax with these
types of media and center his attention on a task.
He has an opportunity to play
alone and not have to compete with other children as with some
activities. This is especially important to a child who has trouble
getting along with others.
He has a great opportunity to
learn about size and measurement, experimenting with measuring spoons,
cups and different sized containers.
He is not concerned with a final
product so he does not find it frustrating.
WHEN YOUR CHILD WORKS WITH
PUZZLES:
She has an opportunity to work
alone or together with other children
She gains satisfaction in
completing a puzzle and builds her self-confidence.
She has an opportunity to improve
her hand eye coordination.
She will use skills learned in
doing puzzles later when she learns to read-putting letters to sounds,
making words with letters, and making stories with words.
WHEN YOUR CHILD LISTENS TO
STORIES OR LOOKS AT BOOKS:
He has an opportunity to increase
his vocabulary by hearing new words read to him.
He learns about different
concepts, people and places.
He learns to enjoy books and
reading.
His mind is stimulated,
visualizing the things he is hearing about.
She learns to follow directions.
She stimulates and uses all five
senses.
She learns to recognize colors
and shapes from different kinds of foods and kitchen utensils.
She has an opportunity to use
different tools and equipment to improve small
WHEN YOUR CHILD LISTENS TO MUSIC,
SINGS OR DANCES:
He learns to appreciate music
from different countries, cultures, and time periods.
He learns to express himself and
his ideas.
He increases his vocabulary.
He gains satisfaction from
participating in an activity that can be fun, physical and/or enriching.
WHEN YOUR CHILD USES MANIPULATIVE
ACTIVITIES:
She explores new concepts,
practices emerging skills, and reinforces skills already mastered.
She develops fine motor practice.
She learns about classifying,
sorting, predicting, problem solving, and analyzing results.
She develops her knowledge of the
world around her using real objects and concrete examples.
WHEN YOUR CHILD USES TECHNOLOGY
AND/OR COMPUTERS:
He learns how machines work and
how they can help him learn more.
He practices hand eye
coordination using the mouse.
He is able to learn the processes
necessary to use technology.
He learns how to express his
ideas through technology and share his ideas with others.
WHEN YOUR CHILD PLAYS WITH
PUPPETS:
She is able to verbalize her
feelings using words.
She can begin to understand the
feelings of others.
She can role-play and perhaps
find solutions to situations that may disturb her.
She stretches her imagination.
Value of Play Poem
There's Nothing in My Bag
Today
Today I did my math and
science:
I toasted bread,
I halved and quartered.
I counted, measured,
Used my eyes and ears and
head.
I added and subtracted on the
way,
I used a magnet, blocks and
memory tray.
I learned about a rainbow and
how to weigh.
So please don't say, "Is
anything in your bag today?"
You see, I'm sharing as I
play.
I learned to listen,
And speak clearly when I talk,
To wait my turn, and when
inside to walk,
To put my thoughts into a
phrase,
To guide a crayon through a
maze,
To find my name and right it
down,
To work with a smile and not a
frown.,
To put my pasting brush away,
So please don't say, "Is
anything in your bag today?"
I've learned about a snail and
a worm,
Remembering how to take my
turn,
Helped a friend learn when he
was stuck,
Learned that water runs off a
duck.
I looked at words from left to
right,
Agreed to differ, not to
fight.
So please don't say, "Did you
only play today?"
author unknown
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