I work in a field where play reigns supreme. I 麻豆精品 S檓 an early childhood educator.
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Play is work to children. They want to use their senses to discover and explore. They want to figure out what something does or how it can be used. Think of it as 麻豆精品 S渂iology with a lab. 麻豆精品 S� They don 麻豆精品 S檛 even want an adult 麻豆精品 S檚 help.
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Through play, children develop a love of learning. They are the facilitators of their own education. This is essential to becoming a lifelong learner.
In a perfect world, children and adults would have the opportunity to learn through exploration. Most knowledge, however, is still passed by lectures and rote memorization, which does not build critical thinking skills.
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A recent Psychology Today article, 麻豆精品 S淭he Emerging Crisis in Critical Thinking, 麻豆精品 S� addressed the deficit in problem-solving skills in today 麻豆精品 S檚 college students. These students are the babies of the ’90s 麻豆精品 S渂aby genius 麻豆精品 S� push. Educators used flashcards with infants and toddlers and spent more time on rote learning than letting them play.
Children spent little time discovering and failing at tasks, which teach persistence and resilience. The opportunities to fail and try again were missed, which are crucial to learning and brain development.
All the research supports what early childhood teachers know: It is time to get back to the basics.
Let the children play. Let them love learning and become the educators of tomorrow.
Kim Nassoiy is associate director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Creative School for Children. She can be reached at Kimberly.Nassoiy@ucf.edu