A group of kids playing outside in the water. To the untrained eye the scene portraits kids just having fun, but to an educator the scene is filled with a plethora of skills the children are learning and mastering. Cooperation, sharing, confidence, inquiry, cause and effect, how to manipulate objects, the list is endless. Play is very important for children and adolescence. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:
Play is important for child development. Through play, children explore the world, practice decision-making skills and discover interests. They also learn to work in groups, negotiate and share. Play prepares children for navigating a complicated world — and for future leadership.
Play in schools is important. It encourages students' academic, social and emotional development. Play also helps children learn. Studies have shown that children learn better and adjust to school better when they have breaks with time to play.
If play is so important to the wellbeing and development of children then why is it being cut short in our schools?
Where is play time going?
After the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 many schools have had to cut back on recess and the time spent in free play and creative activities to make way for more time spent on reading and math to increase academic scores to meet the new standards of NCLB. According to a report from the Alliance for Childhood:
*Research shows that many kindergartens spend 2 to 3 hours per day instructing and testing children in literacy and math—with only 30 minutes per day or less for play.*
This is a reality that many teachers are facing these days. They have to devote more time to instructing the children and less time to creative activities that get the students interests piqued and minds working.
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