Learning without lessons…
Flashcards at 5 months… counting at 10 months… the alphabet before first words… When did early learning and education get reduced to structured academic skill building and rote memorization? Have we, as grown-ups, forgotten that children can learn and build great life skills every day, without trying and without lessons – but through play?
According to a recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), free and unstructured play is essential for aiding children in reaching important emotional, social and cognitive milestones. The report also reveals that despite the benefits of unstructured play, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children.
Simple toys like building blocks and balls don’t only amuse your baby – they flex her brain cells as she tries to figure out why her brick tower toppled over and how the ball rolls
Through free play, even the youngest of children can learn the skills that create success early on and well into adulthood – from math to music and much more. And as children are faced with new relationships in their lives, free play strengthens communication and social skills – first with their caregivers and then eventually their peers.
Deborah Linebarger, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Annenberg School of Communication, advises parents, “when your child is most interested in a particular object or toy and you start talking to your child and engaging them around that toy, the interactions are more meaningful and the child is more likely to learn from the interaction.”
Basic, open-ended items such as dolls, blocks and a bouncing ball can support and encourage a wide range of imaginative play patterns. These types of play experiences provide powerful lessons for very young children that memorizing letters, numbers, colors and shapes simply cannot. The research tells us that when a child is playing, she’s actively trying to figure things out about objects and people – why did that ball roll and the block slide? How did that happen? Why did that happen? The questions, theories and solutions continue to evolve as children develop and master a myriad of critical physical, social and intellectual skills – playing and learning about how the world works and how they work in it.
Every parent can recount a time when their infant headed straight for that curtain to give it a tug, happily opted to tear the wrapping paper rather than engage with the gift, tried and tried to get the round peg into the square hole or simply offered you whatever was in their hand. What are they doing when they do this?
- Taking the initiative and acting on their natural curiosity.
- Making clear choices between different play materials and experiences.
- Varying their strategies and trying different approaches to problem-solving.
- Persisting at a goal and sticking to a task.
- Sharing their discoveries and seek social interaction
These are the real basic skills of a baby’s first years – and the hallmarks of great thinkers and achievers. The research is clear that the best way for babies to grow and strengthen these skills – the skills they need to succeed in life – is to play… and in general, their playthings don’t need to be particularly elaborate.
Despite the research and many child development experts who are cheerleaders for unstructured play, the AAP study reveals that many parents may not be spending enough quality time playing with their children. This means they may be missing out on a key opportunity to engage with their children – and help them discover the world.
Perhaps one reason floortime and open-ended play has dropped off the radar is that parents, motivated by providing their children with every advantage for later success, have overvalued academic skills and undervalued the broader life skills that develop through play, exploration and human interactions. The AAP study also suggests that with today’s hurried lifestyles, adults often have little free time and are unable to make play a priority. Working moms and dads are particularly challenged, having only a few hours to manage the basics of feeding, bathing and bedtime. The good news is, however, that these times can set the scene for rich, playful interactions– from simple turn-taking game at mealtime, to a story, with or without a book, at night.
A recent US Census Bureau report indicates growth in the number of stay-at-home moms of infants. Other polls suggest that dads are spending more time dads with their children, and that most parents are sharply aware of the critical importance of a child’s first years. Today’s parents (and grandparents) are ready to play… so what are you waiting for?!