Benefits of Play

A couple of years ago, I had a program at the library called "Ooey Gooey" which was an open-ended art class for preschoolers. We used all different non-toxic, mostly edible products to paint- so whipped cream, food coloring, pudding, etc. I thought the kids would absolutely love getting their hands into the goop and painting. I was very surprised to see how many children were uncomfortable with having their hands dirty. They didn't want to get dirty and they wanted to wash their hands frequently. So, I starting researching this and reading about a shift in our culture regarding play.
A great resource I found is Play=Learning. In 1995, at Yale University, a conference was held regarding the importance of play in children's lives. A book is available in the library regarding the research that was presented at this conference.

To briefly summarize their goal,  they 'hoped to counter the trend that makes PLAY a four-letter word in our society. They hoped to make the broader point that play is the work of childhood and essential to children's growth and healthy development'.

According to the Play=Learning Manifesto: why are the best and brightest of our children arriving at college feeling ‘burnt out’? Why are some preschools and kindergartens turning into intellectual hothouses with children struggling to master tasks that are inappropriate for their age? Why are desks and worksheets replacing blocks – in preschool? Why is play now often considered time unproductively spent? Simply put, our culture has taken a wrong turn. In its rush to create a generation of Einsteins, it has forgotten about the importance of play for children’s development.

Here is a link to a long list of the benefits of play. So to all my wonderful BLFs out there, let them get dirty! Let them jump in the puddles! Let them make mud pies and pick up the worms off the sidewalk!  Have play clothes and shoes that you don't mind if they get stained or ruined. Let them fingerpaint! Let them dress-up! Let them pretend! Let them be creative!

Which leads me to my next post...