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    Why Play? Learning Through Play
    Why Play? Learning Through Play
    Why Play? Learning Through Play
    Ebook164 pages2 hours

    Why Play? Learning Through Play

    By Chris K. Pancoast

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    About this ebook

    Why Play? Learning Through Play is a valuable resource for everyone interested in exploring early childhood education and development.
    This book explores the critical importance of play for children (and for adults!)
    Some topics discussed include:
    Reasons that play is important
    Types of play
    Brain development
    Health and nutrition
    Tips for how adults can promote play
    Educational philosophies
    For more information and to explore the world of play visit, www.whyplay60.org
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateJun 4, 2019
    ISBN9781728305530
    Why Play? Learning Through Play

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      Book preview

      Why Play? Learning Through Play - Chris K. Pancoast

      © 2019 Chris K Pancoast. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 10/22/2019

      ISBN: 978-1-7283-0554-7 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-7283-0553-0 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2019903537

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Dedication

      Acknowledgements

      Preface

      1 Definitions of Play

      2 The Importance Of Promoting Play

      3 Educational Theorists And Play

      4 Object Permanence And Play

      5 Play Behaviors and Physical, Emotional and Mental Development

      6 Brain Development And Play

      7 How Play Supports The Development Of Children With Disabilities

      8 Adult-Child Play Relationships, Brain And Emotional Development

      9 Motor Development And Play

      10 Multiple Intelligences

      11 Language and Literacy

      12 Child Health and Play

      13 Outdoor Play

      14 How can Parents Encourage Play?

      15 Engaging Formal Learning and Play

      16 Adolescent and Adult Play

      Conclusions

      Some Useful Terms and Definitions

      Cited Sources

      Picture Credits

      Addendum

      A Collection of Play Histories

      Parents’ Perceptions of Play and How Play Shapes a Child’s Life

      How Dramatic Play Strengthens Children’s Social, Emotional and Moral Development

      Why Play?

      Fun Science Projects for Kids

      Bibliography

      About the Author

      Testimonial

      Thoughts, Ideas and Questions

      DEDICATION

      This book is dedicated to my family and friends who have encouraged me to reach for the stars and play!

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      I would like to express my appreciation to the following people for their feedback and ideas that contributed to this book: all of my instructors at Sonoma State University who over the years have challenged me to better understand what makes us human; my advisors in the Master’s program who have provided direction and focus; the many childcare organizations and schools that have been my employers and the teachers I have met there; too many parents to mention who have placed the care of their children in my trust; and especially all of the kids who have shown me their respect and trust, helping me become a better teacher. My wife, Kirsten and daughter, Ariel whose encouragement and belief in me has been invaluable.

      C.K.P.

      3acknowledgementpage.jpg

      PREFACE

      It is normal for children from birth to exhibit a significant range in the rate of development in every area of growth, be it physical, emotional or cognitive. This certainly makes the role of the parent, teacher or caregiver more challenging. It is perhaps the characteristic that most exemplifies why we love our children unconditionally. We find our hearts allow us little choice other than to accept the being we have brought into the world exactly as they are. The challenges of childrearing, and in particular guiding their early development of good learning skills, require parents to be patient and knowledgeable observers and teachers of numerous evolving abilities without imposing unnecessary expectations of when, where and how perfectly each will appear. Early childhood education is the foundation in the ongoing lifelong construction of a strong and healthy body, mind and personality structure. With heart and compassion we bring the effort we believe will produce the best results in each child. Every child is an individual with their unique mix of gifts, abilities and challenges. As in any growth and learning experience, mistakes provide information about what does or does not work. Along the way numerous course corrections may be required both by the child and by the parents. The critical role that play and playfulness have in healthy development and in the ‘learning how to learn’ processes from infancy and throughout life is the focus of this project. It is intended to affirm the central role and scope of the parent-child-teacher relationship in the childrearing process.

      In many ways, this Masters project almost became an autobiography. The research it required resulted in significant introspection about my own childhood learning difficulties, the numerous physical and social challenges I encountered, and the difficulty I had fitting into an educational system with what seemed to be constantly changing expectations and limited pathways of learning. It brought up the enormous importance of having a loving parent-child relationship as well as quality teacher-student relationships. Most of all, it has confirmed and clarified my own reasons for pursuing teaching as a career, and early childhood education as a focus.

      Chris K Pancoast

      1 Definitions of Play

      This Why Play? book uses the word ‘play’ in many different contexts and meanings. The following definitions of the meaning of the word play are intended to demonstrate that play is the most fundamental form of learning the range of skills and abilities we use from infancy through adulthood. In this context, formal classrooms are only one of the ‘playing fields’ employed in discovering and developing our individual skills and abilities. We all seem to understand that for early childhood education the preschool through elementary classroom is a significant ‘field of play’. It is this book’s intent to show that children learn upon every field of play they encounter from birth, and the more fields the better skilled they will be. The world is the classroom and we are all teachers, including the children themselves.

      The American Heritage Dictionary lists over 40 different uses of the word ‘play’ in its various forms and contexts. Some 30 of these are verb uses and more than 10 are noun uses.

      Verb Uses – To occupy ourselves in amusement, sport or other recreation: Let’s play! To take part in a game: to play ball. To act in jest or sport: He was playing me. To act or behave in a specified way: play fair. To act or perform in a dramatic production: act in a play. To perform on a musical instrument: play the guitar. To pretend to be or mimic the activities of: He played cowboy. To occupy a position in a game: I play first base. To focus continuously on something: They played their eyes on the fire. To scan a scene: We played our eyes on the landscape. To move rapidly, lightly or irregularly: We played over the dance floor. To exhaust a fish on a line: We played the catfish. To take part in, half-heartedly: He played at his job. To minimize the importance of something: They played down their failings. To behave as to have an advantage: to play upon a person.

      Noun Uses – An activity engaged in for enjoyment or recreation: play. A literary work for performance on stage: a play. A method of dealing with others in general: fair play. Behavior done in fun or jesting: It was done in play. A move or action in a game: It is your play. The action, motion or use: The play of the imagination. The condition of a thing in active use: being in play or out of play. To attempt to obtain by using art, wiles or skill: to make a play for. Playground: An outdoor area set aside for recreation and play; a field or sphere of unrestricted activity.

      Adjective Uses – To be full of fun, humor and good spirits: to be playful.

      Synonyms – mischievous, impish, frivolous, silly, superficial.

      It is always helpful to have a meaningful context for communicating serious ideas about complicated subjects. Because of the highly varied uses of the word ‘play’, ideas and concepts of what play is vary widely, not just from culture to culture but from individual to individual even within the same family, classroom or group of best friends. Play can be fun and light, serious and technical, or mean and damaging, depending on the perceived limits and intentions of the activity. In the most general sense, all play is a behavior that focuses on the use of and development of an individual’s skills and abilities, both solo and especially in groups, from infancy throughout adulthood. The idea of play does not have a specific moral orientation but rather describes a ‘field’ on which we learn new skills and practice them.

      5.jpg

      The rules and limits of behavior are either self-imposed by the individuals and groups on the field or by an external pre-arranged agreement. In both cases the values, ethics and morals of the surrounding cultures are always present. Even in free-play we have limits of behavior. The ‘field of play’ circumstances are unique for early childhood development in the sense that not only are young children learning new behaviors, but using basic learning skills is a new concept in itself. Mistakes and failures are part of every learning process and are instrumental in successfully developing enjoyable skills and abilities. Developing good social judgment in young children in values, ethics and morals is just as important to their success as an adult as is whether they win the game or become a millionaire. Perhaps the most important common notion about play that parents must reconsider is that play is ‘frivolous’ in meaning and value.

      2 The Importance Of Promoting Play

      GettyImages1087032838.jpg

      With the emphasis today on standardized test scores, grades, advanced curricula,

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