On Global School Play Day, Children Take Charge
On February 3, Shore students in Pre-K through Grade 1 will join tens of thousands of other children around the world to participate in Global School Play Day 2016, an entire day of unstructured, child-generated discovery and exploration.
The special occasion is based on the work of Dr. Peter Gray, who argues in his book Free to Learn and in a well known TEDx talk that today's children do not grow up playing enough, and that this has negatively impacted them in many ways.
Gray contends, "Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth."
He believes that in order to nurture in children the skills to thrive in today’s world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray demonstrates that free play is a primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient.
Numerous recent studies and essays have echoed Gray's concerns and underscored the fundamental importance of play. In the Washington Post, education researcher Debbie Rhea writes,
These ideas are a natural fit in Shore's Lower School, where unstructured play and child-guided discovery are a major part of every day.
Kindergarten teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator Elizabeth MacCurrach says, "Whether it's figuring out how to make the roof of a cave of blankets stay put, or negotiating who will play which role in a make believe game, children build important intellectual and character skills as they play. As educators, we feel lucky to work at a school that understands the importance of unstructured play and provides its students with ample recess and student-directed choice time throughout the school year."
Pre-K teacher Beth White agrees, and quotes child development specialist James L. Hymes, Jr.: "Play for young children is not recreation activity. It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity. Play is thinking time for young children. It is language time, problem-solving time. It is memory time, planning time, investigating time. It is organization-of-ideas time, when the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in response to the stimuli he has met."
Legendary educator Fred Rogers would agree, White reminds. According to Rogers, "Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.... They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play."
Parents and teachers may join in the global day of play by following the hashtag #GSPD2016 on Twitter. Shore faculty and administrators will be posting photos and updates from the Lower School throughout the day.
Back
The special occasion is based on the work of Dr. Peter Gray, who argues in his book Free to Learn and in a well known TEDx talk that today's children do not grow up playing enough, and that this has negatively impacted them in many ways.
Gray contends, "Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth."
He believes that in order to nurture in children the skills to thrive in today’s world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray demonstrates that free play is a primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient.
Numerous recent studies and essays have echoed Gray's concerns and underscored the fundamental importance of play. In the Washington Post, education researcher Debbie Rhea writes,
"Kids are built to move, and having more time for unstructured, outdoor play is essentially like a reset button. It not only helps to break up the day, but it allows kids to blow off steam and apply what is taught in the classroom to a play environment where the mind-body connection can flourish.
"When any human sits for longer than about 20 minutes, the physiology of the brain and body changes, robbing the brain of needed oxygen and glucose, or brain fuel. The brain essentially just falls asleep when we sit for too long. Movement and activity stimulate the neurons that fire in the brain. When we sit, those neurons aren’t firing.
"Study after study has affirmed the importance of play in children’s physical and mental health. It helps boost language development, problem solving, risk management and independent learning skills. Play is linked to improvements in academic skills, classroom behavior, healthy emotional attitudes and better adjustment to school life."
These ideas are a natural fit in Shore's Lower School, where unstructured play and child-guided discovery are a major part of every day.
Kindergarten teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator Elizabeth MacCurrach says, "Whether it's figuring out how to make the roof of a cave of blankets stay put, or negotiating who will play which role in a make believe game, children build important intellectual and character skills as they play. As educators, we feel lucky to work at a school that understands the importance of unstructured play and provides its students with ample recess and student-directed choice time throughout the school year."
Pre-K teacher Beth White agrees, and quotes child development specialist James L. Hymes, Jr.: "Play for young children is not recreation activity. It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity. Play is thinking time for young children. It is language time, problem-solving time. It is memory time, planning time, investigating time. It is organization-of-ideas time, when the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in response to the stimuli he has met."
Legendary educator Fred Rogers would agree, White reminds. According to Rogers, "Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.... They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play."
Parents and teachers may join in the global day of play by following the hashtag #GSPD2016 on Twitter. Shore faculty and administrators will be posting photos and updates from the Lower School throughout the day.
-
-
Kindergartners swinging wide on the playground
-
A remarkably complex structure created in Pre-K
-
First graders at play
-
Global School Play Day is February 3
-
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.