As professors in teacher education, my colleague, Dr. Kennedy and I, are constantly seeking ways to promote play as a method for learning. We decided to use a book study approach to sharing research on the benefits of play and practical ways to incorporate it into their future classrooms. After receiving the grant, we ordered 15 copies of the text Let the Children Play, the maximum we could afford due to shipping and taxes. At the beginning of the semester, students checked out copies. The 15 copies of the text will be checked out and used in future semesters.
During the discussions students were guided with questions and engaged in lively conversations. Some examples of questions include: “A world without play has negative impacts on students. But what about teachers? On pg. 9, the authors stated, “This world without play is wasting the talents of its teachers, the potential of its schools, and the destiny of its children”. Why do you think this is detrimental to teachers and school communities?”, “In Chapter 3, the authors provided many incredible research studies regarding the importance of play on the development of executive functioning skills. Did this surprise you? What stood out to you about the impact of play and academic success?”, and “The authors give us a little bit of hope as they talk about the Great Play Experts who are supporting and promoting play in classrooms and schools all around. How can you serve as a Great Play expert in your future class?”
Also, we played! During book study conversations, students were given various early childhood toys to experiment with. Part of the conversation centered around what skills were being developed through the play. In addition, students wrote reflections of their readings. After reading these, we are inspired and hopeful about play being used in the future classrooms of these teachers.
Below are a few excerpts from their reflections:
“The book also talks about how play is being viewed as dated and not as integral in a child’s education. I fear to see what a school system or any education system that does not value plays looks like. The mental health in our children is at an all-time high, children who have grown up fearing everything should not be told that their dreams and joy are not valuable, they are what is most valuable. Play affects the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and nearly every aspect of a child’s development. Standardized tests should not be what we teach children to value their worth by! But by their character, their kindness, their relationships, their determination, work ethic, creativity!”
“Educators, administrators, teachers, especially parents must understand the value of play if they want their child to succeed at a healthy pace that is best for them.”
“Too much push for academic knowledge early on can cause students to miss milestone moments that they earn through play. This can cause memory to go into the short-term store in the brain. This can cause burnout in the later years of a student’s life.”
“Children need to look up from their screens and schoolwork and immerse themselves into reality; they need to swing, dig, slide, get sunburnt, scratch their knee, laugh with friends, pet puppies, and splash in rain puddles, and they need to do it under the supervision of their parents and teachers. Play is an opportunity for children to battle boredom in a constructive way, take bold yet safe risks, apply their knowledge, build concentration, gain independence, be creative, problem solve, and move their muscles. Play is a child’s way of mimicking adults and experimenting with survival skills while still in a protected environment where the stakes are not yet life or death, which the book calls “practice theory.”
If we want teachers to incorporate play in their classrooms, they need to be knowledgeable on the practices that are based on research. Teachers are our first line of defense in keeping play in classrooms. But to do it, they must know about and believe in the benefits. More than just knowing, teachers need to be able to articulate why play is critical for our children. The book study allowed undergraduate students, our future teachers, to access the related research in a way that is developmentally appropriate for preservice teachers. Like with young children, our college level instruction must match the developmental level of our students and the book study was the way to do that. As can be seen in the excerpts, our students can clearly articulate the benefits of play. Let’s rejoice in the promise of our future teachers!
The text Let the Children Play was overall well received. Students are able to articulate why play is important and how play supports the development of many necessary skills. The next implementation of the book study we will be intentional in guiding students through the occasional sections of the text that they reported had too much research jargon for sophomores.
–Kate Scarborough, PhD Samford University, School of Education, Department of Teacher Education