I do get asked by many friends why I fill Ps days up with activities. Many (mainly Asians) wonder why I even bother and they always retort "He's too young to understand". Well, I am adamant and cast the comments aside because I truly and deeply believe that whatever I am doing for P now is in his best interest. It's pretty tiring organizing activities around a baby, so no it's not that I am a bored SAHM that I do it, it is because I am a SAHM that I have the luxury to research and attend activities with P.
Apologies as I digress, as this blog post is about the power of play.
I am no expert in this matter, I am purely a mother to a busy 9 month old who likes to read up when her baby is asleep. So, please do not take my ramblings as scientific research. I am open to comments and opinions on this matter.
Play, what is it and why is it important?
To understand this, we have to get back to basics. Do you remember your childhood? What were your favourite moments? I am certain that everyones answer to this would consist some form of
play, be it running down the school corridor, hopscotch, skipping rope, learning to ride a
bicycle or even naughtier and more dangerous antics we found ourselves entangled up in.
Now then, where did we learn how to play? Why is it that babies have such a huge array of toys?
We as a society have completely forgotten and taken for granted the basic most crucial and vital part of our humanity. P-L-A-Y!
It is engrained in us. Playing and playfulness leads to much fun and laughter. Why is it then that infants and toddlers aren't given enough play time?
Play in infant stimulates the brain in more ways than one. It helps them learn to share, builds imagination, refine gross motor skills, explore possibilities, problem solving, encourage creativity, gain independence, introduce social skills and so much more.
With so many positives surrounding play, why do parents still keep their children indoors? It is mind boggling! Parents, I encourage and implore you to start bringing your infants out. Create a local playgroup if this doesn't exist in your area. Don't worry about flashcards and other paraphernalia that supposedly catapults your childs intelligence. Without creativity and an independent mind, academic intelligence is naught.
Even us as adults shouldn't forget the importance of play. Everyone needs time out and laughter. Now that you are done reading this post, get off your seat and flex your mind with play!
I fully agree. Kids up to the age of 7 learns unconsciously. This means they take in 100% what is presented infront of them. At this stage of their brain development there are no things such as beliefs, etc to filter the inputs.
ReplyDeleteGrouping kids around of similar age (I suppose +/-2 years old will be good) to accelerate learning and add on sensory based learning throughout their childhood.
You are so right! I did a uni unit on a play based curriculum last year and discovered how important it is for a child's development.
ReplyDeleteHere is an excerpt:
(Bruner is an American who specialises in educational psychology)
Bruner (Diamond. 1996) believed that children have an innate ability that allows them to make sense of the world through play. Play is a means for the child to acquire information and experience the environment and it allows cognitive abilities to develop through active interaction. Bruner (Diamond 1996) states that play produces the flexibility that makes tool use, invention and creativity possible (Orey 2007). Play encourages a child to scaffold, that is, to construct a knowledge base around new ideas and tasks that they can use for future learning. Bruner (Diamond 1996) introduced the notation of a spiral curriculum, which postulates that ideas can be presented to children at almost any age, provided they are coached in appropriate ways. A spiral curriculum revisits basic ideas repeatedly, building and expanding upon them until the student achieves full mastery.
Play serves several functions: socialisation, therapy and real world practise. When involved in play, children can speak freely, without inhibitions or fear of correction from adults, which encourage their creativity. The development of the symbolic mode of representation, i.e. language, allows children to think about and manipulate more sophisticated, abstract concepts (Diamond 1996).
A play based curriculum has many similarities to an arts based one; they both promote expression, imagination and are fun. Playing allows children to create meaning and understanding from their experiences as well as allowing them to express their thoughts and feelings. A play based curriculum should not be restricted to only early childhood classrooms, playing helps all students develop attributes such as co-operation, team work, knowledge of appropriate behaviours for different circumstances and problem solving skills. These skills are all vital for a student to know in order for them to become a successful and productive member of our future society.
Kwokie: unfortunately, the society we live in sorely lacks playtime and children are now hammered by competitive education.
ReplyDeleteJen: that is a wonderful article, I shall share it! Btw which, where and what course are you studying? Is it available by distant edu?
I wrote this as part of an unit on the Arts in Education for my Bachelor of Education: Primary.
ReplyDeleteI am studying it through Murdoch University in Perth WA. I chose this uni as it was fully external (except for a compulsory 4 week on campus stint)and the time zone was similar to Jakarta.
It is a 4 year degree, but I will probably take 5.5 years to do it. It was much easier to study in Jakarta with the all the staff, but I am still managing now we are back in Qld. 3 friends did the Grad dip in Jakarta and are now teaching, and another friend is doing the B of E in Jakarta. You have to pay a little "tax" to get your uni books imported but other than that you just need the internet. The biggest bonus to having a teaching degree whilst overseas is you can negotiate free education for your children in an International school if you teach there, which is a huge cost saving.
"Murdoch provides a four-year Bachelor of Education degree, a one-year Graduate Diploma in
Education, and a 2-year graduate entry BEd for students wishing to become primary or secondary
school teachers. These courses are available full-time and part-time, and through campus-based study or distance education."
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Education/
Re the private schools:
ReplyDeleteI am studying this at the moment but I do believe that if you can afford them they contribute greatly to a child's future.
My brother went to Knox Grammar and at the end of year 12 (F500)companies came and offered the students cadet-ships into a paid for study programs. I went to Roseville Ladies College and got jobs purely because I went to a good private school.
The 'old boys club mentality' is still alive and well, its who you know that counts.
A child can still get a great education at a public school, but a private school gives an almost undefinable something more.
In Jakarta I would say the only top school is BIS, but at least in Sydney there are so many more to choose from if you get in early.
Hope this helps
Jen
Thanks Jen. I'm looking at Oten at the moment as Im not sure if I can commit to something long term.
ReplyDeleteI am crossing fingers that P can get into Shore (my bros Alma mater) and of course hoping we can afford it in the long run.
Very skeptical abt schools in Jkt the intl schools cost a small fortune, and it doesn't guarantee similar experiences as aus..
Thanks for the tip bat negotiating free education! That will come in handy if P has to study in jkt.
It could be true that the environment society create days leaves very little time for children to play and no doubt about the existence of competitiveness.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you are aware of such things and have already taken actions has shown that you believe that each one of us has the ability to make the change that we ourselves want to see. I have no doubt and am very happy for you that you are very focused and your actions are congruent in building a good future for P.