Where Do We Go From Here?
Every child deserves time. Time to play, space to play, open-ended materials to explore, and friends to play with! They need time to develop their imaginations, bodies, and creativity. Play is not a luxury or a spectator sport! Play can build childhood memories of JOY, DELIGHT, RELATIONSHIPS, and FUN! Memories that will serve them well as they travel through their lives!
As I wrote this article I was reminded of this quote:
People don’t stop playing because they grow old.
They grow old because they stop playing!
Maybe we, too, need to play a little more and do things that bring us joy and make us happy.
References:
Armstrong, Thomas. Early childhood education programs: play. ascd.ort/publications/books/106044/chapters/Early-Childhood-Education-Programs.
Brown, Stuart. (2009). Play: how it shapes the brain. Penguin Books: New York.
Dewar, Gwen. (2008). The cognitive benefits of play: effects on the learning brain. parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.
Elkind, David. (2007). The power of play: how spontaneous, imaginative activities lead to happier, healthier children. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press
Ginsburg, Kenneth. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong pare-child bonds. Pediatrics 2007; 119;182.
Hannaford, Carla. (2005). Smart moves: why learning is not all in your head. Salt Lake City: Great River Books.
Jensen, Eric. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Louv, Richard. (2005). Last child in the woods. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books.
Miller, Edward, and Almon, Joan. (2009) Crisis in the kindergarten: why children need to play in school. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood.
Ratey, John. (2008). Spark: the revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. New York: Little Brown and Company.
Web Resources