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I have been thinking a lot about young children and how curious these children are. They are full of questions..some can be investigated, some can not. These children need to be involved in experiences. That is where the questions begin. I am reminded of a quote 'Play is children's work.'

I am going to attach an article that certainly might provoke some wondering for teachers of young children.

kathy

Attachments

Why_Playful_Learning_Is_The_Key_To.docx (0.16 Mb)

For more on science for young children, see Peggy Ashbrook's column in the Science & Children journal and her Early Years blog.

Writings about children's play often educate me on the value of observing play to understand children's thinking and problem-solving. See these webpages and attached files for more on play. The NAEYC's "Play, Policy and Practice Interest Forum" is another valuable resource. Peggy Videatives Views blog--http://videatives.com/blog/2014/04/issue-184-a-one-year-old-child-finds-mutiple-bowls-irresistible/ Reclaiming Play: Helping Children Learn and Thrive in School--http://www.nancycarlssonpaige.org/articles10.html A Conversation with Vivian Gussin Paley--http://www.naeyc.org/content/conversation-vivian-gussin-paley

Attachments

Childrens-right-to-play-An-examination-of-the-importance-of-play-in-the-lives-of.pdf (2.17 Mb)

Childrens-right-to-play-An-examination-of-the-importance-of-play-in-the-lives-of.pdf (2.17 Mb)

Imaginative_Play_During_Childhood--_Required_for_Reaching_Full_Potential_by_Kare.pdf (0.16 Mb)

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Thank you, Peggy, for all those great resources. I plan to share them with my preservice teachers! Carolyn

At the preschool I work in the children are required to play for at least half of the program length. We try to make this playtime educational without the children knowing. We encourage the play by putting out math manipulatives (dinosaurs, teddy bears, and sea creatures in water), art, and science discovery center.

Katie, The policy sounds like an awesome one! We need to create multiple opportunities for ALL our children to play. I was wondering ..do the children in the preschool go outside for a set period of time for free play? If yes, what does that look like? Thanks for sharing. Kathy

I had the pleasure of co-teaching a week of camp with museum educator Sarah Erdman. I read her blog posts at Cabinet of Curiosities, including this one on play.

Here is another resource about the value of children's play, from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, in the form of memos from ECE to other stakeholders: http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201407/Play_Memos_YC0514.pdf " target="_blank">Defining and Advocating for Play [i]Knowing that there are numerous definitions of play and its role in young children's development and learning, NAEYC invited several early childhood educators to write their own definitions. These pieces are published in the May 2014 issue of [i]Young Children[/i], which focuses on play in the early childhood years. We hope these thoughts inspire you to consider how you might define the role of play in early childhood. [/i]

As a teacher in training, I always found, and believe in, play to be an integral part of learning for young children. When I foster play in the classroom I see young students who are engaged, motivated, and learning without even realizing that I am teaching them exactly what I want them to learn. This article mentions that play is children's work and I couldn't agree more. There are many concepts that can be taught through play as well as many motor functions that can be mastered. More over play helps get rid of some of the energy that youth seems to have infinitely. I have experienced teachers take recess away from children for discipline and half of the students didn't want to go out to recess anyway, for whatever reason...doesn't sound like much of a discipline if that is what the student wanted anyway. I think it is also important to note that when a child is playing, to not interrupt their play and let the children play the way they want/created. I see a teacher all too often approach a student and explain the "right" way they should be playing because they were not bouncing the ball, when the idea of play is to be creative and come up with your own rules of the game you just created.

Thank you for the post and the great article. I am student teaching in 3rd grade, but being hands on is still crucial at this age too, so I am looking forward to creating some engaging hands on activities for my students. Can't wait to look through all the sites and articles everyone suggested!

I really enjoyed the information covered. Play is children's work. Often as we age we stop playing and I always wonder why? Very interesting topic.

Thanks so much for posting uploading the information about children play. I am a firm believer that children should learn by playing, especially our preschoolers and elementary age students/children. Its very hands on and fun. Its like an informal assessment.

If the Finland understands Students must play to ask questions, imagine, create & Finland performs well, is it time for the United States to follow?

Play is Learning in Finland


Kathy

Thank you for sharing that article!

Thanks for Sharing. This gave me some good ideas!

One of the things that comes to mind when I think of learning science through play is sorting objects. You may mix plastic tolls with plastic foods in a center and watch how children sort them even if you don't ask them to.

What about setting up science exploration opportunities for students during recess? Things like pinwheels, thermometers and barometers, etc.

Thanks for posting! I definitely think that as educators we should be more conscious of how significant play really is in a child's success to learning. Especially in current times, where free play is getting reduced to such a little amount, and is even non existent in some classrooms.

Great article, thanks for sharing!

This article is very interesting! As an advocate for learning through play, I definitely agree with the ideas presented here. Children most definitely  learn through hands on interaction and play.

I think A LOT of science concepts can be taught through play! A lot of the experiments done with children, they will think it is playing. Children are so much more engaged in activities like this instead of just sitting in lecturing to young children. Learning through play is even beneficial for older students! One experiment that I did with second graders that they really liked was "Cloud in a Cup". In this experiment, the children really liked putting the shaving cream on top of the water, adding food coloring and watching the food coloring collect and eventually fall like rain. This link talks about different experiments that children can do that are basically playing! http://www.fundamentallychildren.com/play-ideas/by-subject/science/

Thank you for sharing your article! I truly believe that science concepts are taught through play; especially with younger students. It is an essential part of children development and keeps students engaged. I hope to incorporate play more in my classroom as long as I can keep it aligned to not only science, but all lessons!

Piaget was one of the greatest advocates for children learning through play, and he has been one of my all time favorites. It is very important that students learn through play, and I have been working with pre-schoolers this semester to contest to that. Thank you for the wonderful resources! I think all the children (not just pre-schoolers) should be learning through play, particularly science!

This article was great!!! Thank You for sharing these amazing resources . I believe that it is a great idea for kids to learn science through play. This is a great method to encourage an inquiring mind. The ingredients of play are precisely the ones that fuel learning, in addition to promoting a state of low anxiety, play provides opportunities for novel experiences, active engagement, and learning from peers and adults. I believe that teaching students in an early age science will help students think critically and at the end students will love science. These resources are great and I will definitely use them in my future science class.

I found an interesting article that talks about why children are so attracted to water, and the value of water play. I've seen a lot of different water tables put together in the preschool classroom where I assist at, and they always have so much fun with them! I've attached the article below.

Attachments

Science_Concepts_Young_Children_Learn_Through_Water_Play_Carol_M_Gross.pdf (0.76 Mb)

This is a very interesting topic to me, as I recently took a human development course in which we talked about the best ways children learn depending on what developmental stages they are in. In that class, I learned that as you mentioned young children are very curious. Due to their curiosity, they experiment. By doing so, they learn from experience. That is why as I learned in class, play in the classroom and in general has a big impact on the learning of young children. They are having an enjoyable experience when it is incorporated into their learning and they are actually learning, it is an overall positive event. That is why I believe it should be seen as an effective method of learning, and should be incorporated in the classroom more often.

I have always been real big in children being able to do hands on activities. I believe we should incorporate more play during a lesson to help students understand the concepts of certain materials. Students will be having fun while they are learning at the same time. Students will be more eager to learn something new and they will most likely remember what they did that day if play was involved in the lesson.

Hello, I found the article very interesting. I am currently studying Early Childhood education, and in many classes I've been taught that through play children can learn on their own through discovery. After the discovery, as teachers we can facilitate and guide their new formed knowledge. Thank you for sharing this great article!

Thank you for sharing this article. I agree playful learning is essential to help with the growth of of the minds of the youth. I am in my first semester of student teaching, and I am seeing more worksheets being taught in classrooms. I feel with without playful learning, the students creativity is constantly stifled. When we push worksheet after worksheet we stop the thinking of the children. I feel the worksheets do not allow the students to think on their own. I will keep this article in mind when I become a teacher.

I love the language-choice used in this article. Specifically, I agree when the author challenges educators to raise students up to be "purposeful creators." Creativity is nourished during play time because it challenges young learners to improvise, discover, dream, and challenge each other. Discovering a topic through play will give the students a much higher sense of independence and self-sufficiency than when they simply just fill in the blanks, and someone else is doing the thinking for them. Learning through play will guide the students through a process, and one question will raise another question, and another, and another, until they reach the discovery they are trying to find or prove. The article mentions "Playworks" in schools as one of the tools used to promote learning through play. I have seen this in my current school where I student teach and have found that the students are highly engaged and grow in their prosocial skills when they engage in active play. Again, the author of this article did a great job at linking play with creativity. In a world of high-technology and constant improvements, it is essential for students to be innovators. Innovation only comes through increasing creativity and being unafraid to try new things, even after failing several times. I aspire to incorporate play into my methodology of teaching as it will improve my classroom management, will promote students to critically think for themselves, and will also help build healthy relationships within the classroom.

I agree that play is children's work! Play gives them a chance to experience trial and error. For example, if they are trying to build a course for a marble to go through, they will experiment to see which types of set ups allows the marble to continue moving. If the marble stops before reaching the end of the course the children will need to figure out what they can change about the course to keep the marble moving. This can also help you as teacher see the students thought process. Something you could not see on a multiple choice test. While the students are playing you can ask them why they are doing what they are doing to have them explain their thinking. Along with having the students explain their thinking to each other. Students are usually willing and excited to share things that they have worked so hard on. I was able to visit a early childhood STEM classroom during one of my preservice teacher courses. In this classroom there were so many great centers to incorporate in the classroom to encourage both play and learning. There were blocks, where students can build courses like I mentioned earlier. Water tables, where students could build water fountains. Also a white sheet and flashlights where students could learn all about shadows. With my experience in classrooms I have seen that students love Lego's as well. They are able to learn how to build, how to use space, and how to be creative. All of these centers would be intriguing to students, and they think they are just playing, but you as a teacher know that they are actually learning! Check out this great article for more information about science and also literacy centers!  https://s3.amazonaws.com/NSTA1/1439619/04_Science_and_Literacy_Centers.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIMRSQAV7P6X4QIKQ&Expires=1520605816&Signature=41KvT2gE5w38QkBtRHxjB0JC5fo%3d 

I am a preservice teacher at the University of Northern Iowa. In my class, we are talking about early childhood learning, which happens to be the lower elementary ages kindergarten - 3rd grade. In my class, we have talked a lot about the fact that play based learning is very important in a child's cognitive learning career. No matter what the children are playing with they are learning. A set of unit blocks seems to be the most popular learning object for children. These unit blocks can help them figure out why the tower keeps falling over, allowing them to continuously work with the same thing to find a different result. In an article I read, that I have attached to this post, in order to connect math, science and technology skills, through play, you can trigger this content through questions such as what is the problem, what have others done, what are the constraints, what are some solutions, brainstorm ideas, choose the best one, and even allows the children to draw a diagram of their ideas. This article gives many ideas about the ways engineering ties in with many other subject areas along with proof of why the play based learning is so important.

Attachments

Revealing the Work of Young Engineers in Early Childhood Education (External Website)

Hello! I am currently a pre-service teacher at the University of Northern Iowa and I think that play is incredibly important if done correctly. Play should be meaningful. For instance, don't just have them color in coloring pages. Have your students explore different concepts and phenomena. Our school is lucky to have a classroom full of different science manipulatives and we got to explore some possible stations for our future classroom. In your classroom, you could have a station where students are using wooden blocks or legos to build structures or marble tracks. Another station could work with shape puzzles or shadow puppets. There was even a station with water and different containers for the students to explore. Many of these things are easy to obtain and lead to creative thinking. In order to have effective play, teachers must create a social-moral atmosphere. That means that the teacher relinquishes some authority and gives the students more opportunities to make decisions. If teachers want students to explore and problem solve, they must allow their students to feel confident in making decisions without direction from the teacher. This can be a hard concept for some teachers. Teachers also need to teach their students how to work collaboratively with others and how to resolve a conflict by themselves. There is this wonderful article that I will attach below that continues to explain some of the concepts that I have mentioned. I highly recommend that teachers take a look at it! The last thing that I would like to say is that play needs to be more than 20 minutes. By the time students set up an activity or decide what they are going to do, time is already passed. If teachers are going to incorporate play, they must be willing to devote time to allow students to truly explore the things around them. [url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NSTA1/1439619/06_Putting_the_Cart_before_the_horse_2009.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIMRSQAV7P6X4QIKQ&Expires=1520605895&Signature=dQwPppEI3hE%2bixfqVemrSTj012M%3d]https://s3.amazonaws.com/NSTA1/1439619/06_Putting_the_Cart_before_the_horse_2009.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIMRSQAV7P6X4QIKQ&Expires=1520605895&Signature=dQwPppEI3hE%2bixfqVemrSTj012M%3d [/url]

Hello! I am a preservice teacher at the University of Northern Iowa. In my science methods class we have started to dig into this subject more and more. We had the chance to visit an early childhood STEM classroom to see all the variety of things you can include in your classroom to facilitate creativity and experimentation with your students. In this classroom they had everything from legos to cooking materials. I found the cooking station the most interesting because I would not think that it would work with younger children. But, turns out its easy to incorporate into your class and allow students to experiment with different chemical reactions while making the food. We have also been discussing that some schools are taking out station time or free time for students to interact with different materials and just play.  This seems to be going in the wrong direction. in the article it mentioned how, “play fosters creative thinking”, and that is how every administrator and teacher should feel. Play isn’t just play, it’s a way for students to discover, experiment, imagine and dream.  I also think the point about students becoming better test takers, but in turn laking in imagination is important to see. There are so many ways students can learn core subjects through play.  Like others have mentioned before me, building a course out of blocks for a marble to go through and discovering how shadows work through a white sheet and flashlight allow for learning. This engages students so much more when they can have freedom to make their own choices and not have the teacher be the authority over every little thing they do.  Student engagement will rise with creativity and ability to use their imagination.

I am currently a preservice teacher at the University of Northern Iowa. The resources that you provided was great and I think that play essential in the younger elementary grades. At this age, children are so curious about everything and allowing them play is a great way to help them explore their curiosities. In my science class at UNI, we recently visited a classroom that had different stations where students can not only play but learn critical skills as well. While playing, students can explore new ideas and concepts, learn how to work with others and share things, and can take risks and try new things. At the stations, students could explore hows different items making shadows, can learn how to cook things, can explore how electricity is conducted through circuits, can build ramps with blocks, and can even play with Lego's. The freedom to go and explore each of these stations will help increase their interest in the stations and will help them learn about all that science has to offer.

Hello! Like all the other posts before me, I also enjoyed the article about play and how it is work for children! Play is essential for both young and older students and from my experience, students learn to be curious and solve problems through play! I was fortunate enough to teach a lesson using ramps and pathways and in this lesson, rather than lecture students, I simply handed students ramps, blocks, and marbles and then they played. Students who were shy and hesitant before were so excited and as I watched these students explore through play, I knew that this is something that I would like to see in my future classroom and everywhere!

Good afternoon! I have been working with young children starting at 18 months at a daycare for just over ten years now. One of the first things that I learned working there with the toddlers is how they learn through play. Using blocks, drama play, and manipulatives are just a few ways for young children to start learning through play. Toddler rooms are an important place to start children with science exploration. They are already very curious on how things work. Through a recent exploration time I spent in an early education science classroom, there are endless possibilities our students to play around with, while learning in the process.

Kathy,

Thanks for sharing that article, I found it very interesting and enjoyed reading it! As a future educator I love the idea of incorporating more time to be active as well as play, both for educational and for fun. One quote that stood out to me when reading this was “better adjusted, smarter and less stressed” I believe that this is true in so many ways. For one allowing students this time to interact with other students lets them learn of of others without thinking or the pressure as well as getting communicative and working with other skills. Another point is that kids might take something hands on and fun as play but is also educational so you can get them learning without them seeing that until a later point. Also incorporating play into their day breaks up educational time and allows them to be creative and find themselves as well as destress from subjects that might challenging or difficult for them. Overall in my future classroom I want to make sure that I have time for play even with all the pressure from the government of what we are required to teach, I believe it is important!

Kathy,
Thank you for sharing this article with us about why playful learning is the key to prosperity. I believe that children do learn better by doing and having multiple forms of learning from visual, to auditory, to hands on learning. It is better for them to explore their options and come up with hypothesis on their own and learn from their mistakes. By having the children learn through play their are able to explore through the space to dream, discover, improvise and challenge convention. Having them learn through play is that they can explore into their own interests by having them not even realize that they are learning. Overall in my future classroom I want to make sure that I have time for play even with all the pressure from the government of what we are required to teach, I believe it is important!

Kathy,
Thank you for sharing this article with us about why playful learning is the key to prosperity. I believe that children do learn better by doing and having multiple forms of learning from visual, to auditory, to hands on learning. It is better for them to explore their options and come up with hypothesis on their own and learn from their mistakes. By having the children learn through play their are able to explore through the space to dream, discover, improvise and challenge convention. Having them learn through play is that they can explore into their own interests by having them not even realize that they are learning. Overall in my future classroom I want to make sure that I have time for play even with all the pressure from the government of what we are required to teach, I believe it is important!

Hello Kathleen, Thank you for sharing this article! At the place where I work, Play is the essential part of students' learning. Through play, they work on different areas such as math, science, and language. They are engaged and have fun.

This post is something I genuinely can agree with. I have not yet finished my degree, but I have done many field hours in different schools with different teacher. I agree, with all the pressure of state exams students are becoming less creative and imaginative. Most of the classes I have completed my field hours in have been all about drilling students with information to pass these exams. So many handouts, work sheets, questions answered directly from the book, it seems that students have lost their ability to think diveregently. This is sad because these are thinking skills that will help them in real life settings. Thank you for sharing this article! It was a great read.

Hello Kathleen! Thank you for your post! I find myself always sneaking in an engaging game at the end of the lesson to create some movement or competition within the class. I ask myself sometimes if this is too fun for the students. I believe that the students should always have fun while learning because that is their way to collaborate with others but also see the relevance of the lesson. With collaboration and fine motor skills, children are able to learn the skills that allow them to become lifelong learners. I hope to incorporate many more of these activities in my classroom!

This is really a great concept to think about for future educators! I am currently studying elementary education and I would love to have new ways to teach my future students so that they can have fun and be engaged in the lesson. Children are constantly learning, even while enjoying themselves playing a game. Incorporating curriculum content into play time can be a great way to get the students excited about learning without even realizing it! Some concepts in science can be difficult to learn traditionally, so I believe that doing so through play could only benefit the students in the long-run.

Thank you for sharing the article! This was a very insightful article, and definitely something I would like to keep in mind when I teach. I have worked in many learning centers and daycares and this rings a lot of truth that science concepts can be learned through play. Children are very curious, especially those in early childhood and they learn a lot by interacting with the environment around them. I know we did a lot of kid-friendly science experiments when I used to work for these learning centers, and the children just love it! They're truly engaged and naturally curious about what was presented. Therefore, I definitely agree that play should be integrated into learning, especially in science.

I absolutely think play is important for children! The article was amazing! Children need play as much as they need transitions, rewards, motivation, and instruction. One of the best ways children retain information is if they're engaged. Making lessons with play in them even if its role playing or using puppets, is a great way to improve your lesson. Children will always be curious but we as teachers have to make sure we meet as many needs as we can.

In regards to teaching young children in secondary education, what are some pedagogical strategies that teachers can implement in the classroom in order to promote the learning of science through "play" or through experiences?

I agree play is so important with STEM activities in elementary. I have a perfect example of this. Yesterday a five year old was sitting in the library at my school. I offered him books to browse. He was not too interested. :(  When we brought out the Legos, whoa! What a difference that made. It was fascinating to listen as he built and navigated through the Lego pieces. I hope the interest will come with the books, but you could definitely see the budding scientist!      

I agree play is so important with STEM activities in elementary. I have a perfect example of this. Yesterday a five year old was sitting in the library at my school. I offered him books to browse. He was not too interested. :(  When we brought out the Legos, whoa! What a difference that made. It was fascinating to listen as he built and navigated through the Lego pieces. I hope the interest will come with the books, but you could definitely see the budding scientist!      

This is a very interesting concept to me. A lot of my professors tell us how important it is for learning through play and I think using play in science is a great idea to get everyone engaged and learning together. 

I think this is the best way for any child to learn. Playing while learning allows them to use all of their senses in exploring something. This can then take them on a whole different level of understanding. 

I really enjoyed this article!! I 100% agree that playing while learning is an excellent way for children to expand their senses and thinking while truly building deep understandings of concepts. Play is important business to children, so why not harness that excitment and focus for learning. 

Hi Kathy, thank you for sharing the article it is very informative and interesting. I also really liked the quote you shared since it is something I personally believe in. 

 'play is children's work' 

Can using play in science also promote a love for science?

I love this article, Kathy. I think that play is one of the most important parts of a student's learning process. It helps with not only physical skills, but life skills too. Play is also so imporatant for elementary students in this society when everything is technology based. Having students learn through play makes learning fun and interesting. I really enjoyed reading this article and understanding the importance of learning science concepts through playing. Thank you again for sharing! -Grace Restrepo

Do you think that play can sometimes distract from learning science? In what ways can this not be effective? - Grace Restrepo

This is a great reminder of how important it is to not micromanage our students! Exploration and creativity are such a big part of science and are crucial for our future scientists. Allowing our students to explore and experiment without the fear of getting penalized or judged for failure is where many schools are lacking now a days. Trial and error is essential for finding answers or getting as close to the answer as possible and, as teachers, we need to encourage this! Thank you for sharing this piece!

Thank you for sharing this link Kathy! I recently learned about learning though play and how its beneficial for children in many ways. I am happy to hear that there are high impact innovators who are trying to bring back play in the classroom. As a future teacher i encourage this link because the children are the future and its crucial that they get the education they deserve and need.

I myself am still a student and im wondering if you or any teachers have any ideas for science lessons in the classroom that include play?

I completely agree that students need play and hands on work to be able to really understand a concept. I do however beleive that teachers should make a huge effort to connect whatever playful activity they are doing or hands on activity to whatever concept it ties into. I think a lot of teaching focus on the activity part and then forget about the connecting it to the concept the students are supposed to learn from it. 

The a part in this article really surprised me when it talked about how recess is being cut down. I am wondering why schools are doing this if clear evidence from research has shown that young student get a deeper understanding from play. 

I think that working through play is a far more influencial way of learning. As the students construct their thoughts, they are also gaining problem-solving as well as social skills if it is collaborative. If a teacher is facilitating the play time and asking children thoguht-provoking questions, it will greatly enhance a child's education. 

I believe that children learn by doing! It is amazing to watch how students are so keen on creating new environments for themselves to learn. 

'Play is children's work.'

I love this quote so much and I think many schools and teachers need to be reminded of that today. Many schools have eliminated play as a part of their curriculum and instead are focusing on teaching and testing children from a book. We put so much pressure on children nowadays at such a young age that we forget they need to just be kids too-and just PLAY! Play is SO important as children learn from exploring with objects and materials, while building on fine and gross motor skills, and learning how to connect with peers.

Working as a Head Start teacher, I have heard people tell me 'you have a great job you get to play all day' to which I used to get upset and say “they are learning not playing” but play is work when you are 4 and 5 years old. At the beginning of the year, I started taking photos of the students 'working' in different areas during Work Time and making a poster that showed what topics they were learning. Pictures of Home Center were titled 'Social Studies' and the Discovery area was labeled 'Mathematics' and so on. I wanted the parents to understand that the children were learning a foundational understanding of these concepts whilst at play.

Hello,

I am a child care provider and I know to well about the curiosity of little ones.  There are many age appropriate science activities that can be done right in the back yard or around the neighboorhood.  For example, kids love to plant and grow things, and pick things apart.  Maybe you can have them find certain types of plants or flowers.  The fall is  great time to introduce lots of outdoor adventures.

Kathy,

Thank you so much for posting this article! I currently am attending the University of Northern Iowa and am a preservice teacher. At UNI we are really trying to put an emphasis on play and 'tinkering' in the classroom. I have learned about as well as worked with many resources that can be used to help promote this play. We can find that when students play, and with just a little bit of guidance, students are actually following the standards we are required to teach. Play and tinkering is something that goes almost hand and hand with science, because children are exploring their world and solving problems. When we allow students to do these things in a way that is best suited to them, their learning experiences are much more significant than anythign we try and get them to do. For the past 20 years we turned our educational focus on reading and comprehension in hopes to fix these things, and because of this we took away this play time. Slowly but surely we are realizing the negative impacts of this decision, and are now trying to reverse things back!

I completely agree that play is very important to a students learing, especially at a young age. I read through the article you attached and it had some great information and points about using play as a form of learning for young students. I really enjoyed when Olav Koss said 'Playing is not a luxury'. I feel like in todays society most teachers will only use play as a from of reward and says it is not needed. Also looking at research about what subjects are being taught the most is literacy, whether it be reading or comprehension, and leaving science and social studies in the low 10 percent of the pie graph. I believe that is important to give students hands on experience, which will involve play, even though they are using their minds to learn and explore new things. at the University of Northern Iowa, where I go to school we have a STEM program that has an awesome room, that has activities that can help using hands on acitvities that promote learning. Hands on is a step in learning that I am going to follow throughout my years as a teacher I think it is essential to a students learning, and should also be involved with upperclassman as well. 

I actually just recently had the opportunity to visit Dr. VanMeeteren’s model early childhood inquiry science classroom at the University of Northern Iowa. This classroom is dedicated to helping children explore and understand science through play. She had many different areas throughout the room that the students could explore such as ramps and pathways, making your own kazoo to see how sound works, a water flow station, a gyroscope station, light stations, and so much more. I believe that it is very beneficial for the students to be engaged in play while they are learning because it helps foster their natural curiosity and wonder. They also become much more engaged with the materials they are presented with because they are doing something they enjoy. They have the opportunity to explore phenomena that they may have see in their own lives and they can use the tools and materials presented to them to help explain those phenomena. I believe that keeping an element of “play” is very important for the development of young students’ science mindset.

Kathy, 

This article was a great resource for discussing playful learning, thank you for sharing! I have always been a strong believer that children learn by doing, and learn so much on their own just by exploring during playtime. Children explore using their own interests, which is why I believe they stay more engaged, than during a typical science lesson. I have not finished my BA in Elementary Education, however I am getting ready to student teach. I have every intention to include playful learning time in my classroom, especially encouraging students to explore during recess and outside activities. I also agree that exams focus more on memorization of the content, and not focussing on creation from hands on activities or student imagination while thinking of content. I am currently in a science methods course, where we were able to visit Dr. VanMeeteren’s model of early childhood classroom. She taught us the importance of hands on actives and learning science through play. Dr. VanMeeteren recommends having different stations throughout your classrooms for students to take turns exploring. These stations such as sound works, water flow, pathways, etc, help keep students engaged. A variety of stations, which the teacher can always switch around, and the use of phenomenon is important to keep in mind while teaching science!

I currently am in an internship at a center that follows the Reggio Emilia approach. It is truly amazing to be a part of. The kids are able to do fun things and they do not even realize that they are learning. I think learning through play is a great way to let kids learn!!

Kathy, 

My name is Brooke Craig and I am a student at the University of Northern Iowa. As a future educator, I want to strike up learning in the best way possible for my students. I truly believe that allowing students to play at a young age is far more beneficial than having them in desks all day long. In the article you posted it states, 'play gives children space to dream, discover, improvise, and challenge convention.' What better way for learning to begin? I think that students even better teachers than learners, so allowing them to create and improvise different things is so amusing as a future educator. Think about allowing your students to play with blocks or marble ramps. They are going to continue to stretch that tower or stretch that ramp to its max, they are constantly going to challenge themselves to continue the process. As a teacher, we can ask them questions like 'why did you start your tower/ramp like this? What have you noticed gone wrong or right?' Playing is learning and it is benefiting our students more than sitting in a desk. 

Brooke

Hi Kathy, I'm currently an Early Childhood Student at UNI. This concept of learning through play is at the core of what we learn in Early childhood.  That article you shared is really interesting and something I can relate it.  Schools nowadays have become so focused on literacy and math starting from kindergarten, that those children are not getting the opportutnity to do hands on activities or explore through play. Those children could easily have some activities such as water tables or ramps and pathways in which they would play and learn physical science thorugh that type of play, or they could even write about their experiences while exploring those kinds of activities. 

Hi Kathy!

Thank you for posting and for the attachment you included. Currently, I am an Early Childhood major with a minor in Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout my classes play being brought into the classroom, has been an important topic. The statement, 'Children's work is play' I agree with 100%. I always say we can learn a lot about a child through their play. Children's minds are constantly thinking, children are not made to sit in a chair all day they are made to be able to move around and explore. Recently, in class, we were able to explore a room full of different activities for children. We were asked to only visit two stations. Doing so, that made us use our imagination and to try a view an object from different perspectives. My friend was at the station with me. We were able to communicate with each other and bounce ideas off of each other. Children are able to enhance their cognitive and social skills through play. A long with many others! I cannot wait until I have a classroom of my own to try and bring play back into the classroom. One way or another. 

Hi Kathy!

Thank you for posting and for the attachment you included. Currently, I am an Early Childhood major with a minor in Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout my classes play being brought into the classroom, has been an important topic. The statement, 'Children's work is play' I agree with 100%. I always say we can learn a lot about a child through their play. Children's minds are constantly thinking, children are not made to sit in a chair all day they are made to be able to move around and explore. Recently, in class, we were able to explore a room full of different activities for children. We were asked to only visit two stations. Doing so, that made us use our imagination and to try a view an object from different perspectives. My friend was at the station with me. We were able to communicate with each other and bounce ideas off of each other. Children are able to enhance their cognitive and social skills through play. A long with many others! I cannot wait until I have a classroom of my own to try and bring play back into the classroom. One way or another. 

Hi Kathy!

Thank you for posting and for the attachment you included. Currently, I am an Early Childhood major with a minor in Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout my classes play being brought into the classroom, has been an important topic. The statement, 'Children's work is play' I agree with 100%. I always say we can learn a lot about a child through their play. Children's minds are constantly thinking, children are not made to sit in a chair all day they are made to be able to move around and explore. Recently, in class, we were able to explore a room full of different activities for children. We were asked to only visit two stations. Doing so, that made us use our imagination and to try a view an object from different perspectives. My friend was at the station with me. We were able to communicate with each other and bounce ideas off of each other. Children are able to enhance their cognitive and social skills through play. A long with many others! I cannot wait until I have a classroom of my own to try and bring play back into the classroom. One way or another. 

Hi Kathy!

Thank you for posting and for the attachment you included. Currently, I am an Early Childhood major with a minor in Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout my classes play being brought into the classroom, has been an important topic. The statement, 'Children's work is play' I agree with 100%. I always say we can learn a lot about a child through their play. Children's minds are constantly thinking, children are not made to sit in a chair all day they are made to be able to move around and explore. Recently, in class, we were able to explore a room full of different activities for children. We were asked to only visit two stations. Doing so, that made us use our imagination and to try a view an object from different perspectives. My friend was at the station with me. We were able to communicate with each other and bounce ideas off of each other. Children are able to enhance their cognitive and social skills through play. A long with many others! I cannot wait until I have a classroom of my own to try and bring play back into the classroom. One way or another. 

Kathy, this was so interesting! I am a college student taking my science methods class, and this just so happens to be our topic of discussion this week. Kids learn so much from interacting with the world around them. It is so important for us as teachers to make sure that they get to play and interact with peers because they learn so much from one another. I think that our education system is so focused right now on being the best, but they forget that kids still need to be kids and actually learn more through manipulation, peers, and experiences. We don't want kids to all be the same or think exactly alike becuase then what would our world be? Kids need to explore and be curious about things because it allows them to think critically and be imaginitive. We need to incorporate more of this into classrooms, especially at younger ages, but older kids shouldn't be left out either!

Hello Kathy,

I am a senior at the Univeristy of Northern Iowa and am currently enrolled in Methods of Sceince course. We talked about this and we got to go down to the Early Childhood room and play and learn that way. It took me back to when I was a studnet. In kindergarten it was about 45% learning and 55% playing. We got to interact with our peers and play with paint, play dough, blocks, kitchen set, create station, and so much more. We got the creative side of our brain working almost every day and I think that has helped me a lot to think outside of the box and excel in school. I played outside as a kid and I got dirty. I think kids today are focused on video games and computer games. I think that getting students out and letting them explore the world and learning through being creative is the best way for little kids to learn. It is hard for a 5 or 6 year old to sit and focus duing a 45 minutes reading lesson or 45 minute math lesson. I think we need to go back to letting them explore and play in the classroom.

Kind Regards,

Cassie

Hi Kathleen,

I, like many of the others commenting on this post, am a senior studying elementary education at the University of Northern Iowa, currently enrolled in a Teaching Elementary Science Methods course. I completely agree with you and the article you shared about play being a integral part of human development. I believe today that a lot of the play time is being replaced by screen time. I've heard from many people that children under the age of 3 shouldn't get any screen time at all, and while I think that it isn't realistic in today's world to believe that could happen, I think it is a great warning. The proper response I believe is to let your children play.

Research on play all seems to suggest that children learn best through inquiry-based approaches. The example of the students being told to free play with objects, being shown how to play with those objects, or given no objects suggests that children are most creative and inquisitive without too much guidance. Just place those items down in front of young kids and most will be three times more creative than the others--let students play, let them experiment, let them have fun! I walked into a Kindergarten classroom recently, and it felt nothing like my memories of kindergarten. Gone was the half of the room that was just toys, gone was free play time, gone was nap time. We don't  let these students play like we should, it's how they build knowledge and how they build relationships with others and their world.

Thank you for sharing this article with us. Although I see myself working with upper elementary students more likely, they're still kids and need to be able to be creative! Creativity is key to a great classroom, but students who are consistently shown exactly what they should do or who aren't allowed to play in general aren't going to be all that creative. Those methods create drones, play creates creators.

Thank you for sharing this article! I recently read an article over the importance of play for children, and I appreciate that more and more educators are becoming more aware of the benefits play has on developing minds. I remember many 'experiments' I conducted as a small child because I found them interesting, and it was not the product of lecturing. I love being able to hand over new concepts and let children experiment and discover on their own.

I was always a hands-on student and curious one too. As I grew up everything that was about science was fascinating to me. I do agree that for a chhild to learn a new subject and to be interested in it they have to get to play or just do somehing out of their imagination that makes them comfortable to learn. About 2 years ago I went to a field trip with my nephew for his school and they took them to a museum and they were showing them  how magnets work with the paper clips even though a paper plate was in between them. while they were doing the experiment they were also getting a bit dirty with the paint they had on plate with the paper clip as they moved the magnet underneath the paper plate on top was being painted art and science was being incorporated and the kids were all having fun. The article is really interesting thank you for sharing the link!

I think that is is so important to allow younger students the oppurtunity to explore science so that they can began to gain an interest for it. Science can so fun for all kids if it is being delivered in an exciting manner, where students can get hands on experience with the topic.

I think that play is fundamental for children to learn. It allows them to explore the world around them in a way that doesn’t hinder their curiosity or creativity. When children can guide their own learning through their experiences and their interests it allows them to get a better understanding of the world around them. When my students were outside playing they took out the magnifying glasses from the classroom to explore the play area. They were pretending to be scientists and detectives examining everything they found interesting. While doing that two students found a caterpillar crawling on a shrub near the bike area. They used their magnifying glasses to see the caterpillar more clearly, they shared the features they saw, how it moved and how it felt since they touched the caterpillar. The impromptu science discovery led to us as a classroom learning about caterpillars and butterflies since they were curious to learn About what they had found while playing. 

Thank you for sharing such an amazing resource! It saddens me to see how some children cannot truly engage in free play these days. 

Thank you for sharing such an amazing resource! It saddens me to see how some children cannot truly engage in free play these days. 

Hi Cindy,

I recently went to a conference that talked about the teaching students through play. Sometimes as teachers we enforce the curriculum and expect so much from our students. We learned a lot about the brain and research shows students will master the skill more when engaged through play. I enjoyed reading the article. Thank you. 

Hello fellow science teacher,
 
I am replying you behalf of Funsciencedemos YouTube Channel that is home to hundreds of free videos for ideas for teachers and students to recreate in the classroom. Science is our passion and we are so excited to share our engaging, kid-teacher-parent friendly, and interactive lessons with you to use in the classroom or at home. Our videos adhere to the common core science standards, encompass a wide variety of science concepts, and are specifically geared toward younger learners. All videos on the FunScienceDemos channel come with an English subtitle that can be translated into almost any language, making science lessons accessible virtually any place in the world.  
 
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Hello Kathy, thank you for sharing that article! I find it very interesting the ways that children in Early Childhood can learn through play, however, my only question is how can we make sure that ALL young children are learning through play at once and as a whole since every child has different styles of learning? 

Hello Kathy, this article was really great to read, i am actually learning how play is an important role in a child's development. My question to you is how can we incorporate play into different subjects, as well as the child's daily life?

Hi Kathy thank you for sharing such an interesting article. This article has helped me understand how play is a natural and daily activity which adults should encourage more not only at home but at schools. it really helped me connect my studies of play in early childhood to how play is efficient for childrens development. My question is, what are some strategies an early childhood educator can take into account when organizing play? Thank you! 

Hi Kathy. I’m a student and a future educator. I found your post very interesting. Specially the quote because I never thought about it that way. My mentor teachers have often incorporated some sort of play into their lesson.

Hi Kathy! This is a very interesting post becasue it is true! I think many people don't realize that children's curosity and play is learning and helpful for them. 

I think this is an extremely cool concept and idea! How can we better integrate play into instruction but also maintain structure and control over the classroom? How do we manipulate the 'play' of the students into their learning of a specific subject as teachers?

Thank you for sharing this link. I enjoy when the article mentions, 'every child has the right to play, no only because it is fun, but because it is critical to their education and healthy development'. This is important for educators to implement the idea of play in his/her lesson plans. The act of play is necessary to break in a child's social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Play is the absolute best way for children to learn.  As they freely explore their environment they are learning how things work, how to interact with peers, they are problem solving when things don't go as planned.  They are persevering through tasks that don't necessarily go as planned.  All while being relaxed and having fun.  When people enjoy something, they are more likely to absorb more in the learning process to incorporating play is critical to effective learning in children.

This article is great, I believe play is essential for children and should be a huge part of the curriculum. Children have very low attention spans and they need to be doing hands on work, sitting a desk is not going to keep them focused and they get bored so easily. Children should also get the opportunity to learn science outside more than inside the classroom.

Hello, 

       I agree with you compelety, schools have forgotten the essential reason for their existance 'To Educate' schools are all consumed with computer data, and tests. Science is one of those topics where many times a computer won't justify the answer. I think more teachers should speak up for more science in a classroom. I remember when I first took a science class doing a lab experiement for the first time, I was so excited to learn and see more. I would like to see more science being done in schools.

Kathleen Renfrew,

            Thank you for sharing this link.  The quote “Play is children’s work” is true indeed.  It is a fact that children treasure playtime not only because it is fun but also playing is so freeing.  As an educator, I have seen my students bloom as beautiful children and individuals and design and create amazing things during playtime.  When they play, children are so imaginative and creative in using their imaginations and what they have in front of them to create incredible things.  Many times, incorporating play into the lessons is effective and will make the lessons easy to understand and grasp by the students.  

Hello Kathleen!

Thank you for sharing this article with us. I also agree that playtime is so essential in helping a children learn. In the text, I was really surprised to read that nearly half of the schools in the U.S. education system had 'reduced or eliminated recess to free up more time for core academics.' Children at their age should be exploring the world through interactions with games and other peoples. I think that games are things that could truly draw out a child's creativity as well as help them learn at the same time. This is why I always try to incorporate fun activities into my lesson plan when I am teaching a class. What is more better than having fun and learning from it at the same time?

The article you shared was great! I am a firm believer that a child's learning is often supported through play and experience. Even as toddlers they're mini scientists. If you carefully watch them play, you can see the sense of wonder that arises in them when they discover a toy's new feature or find another use for it. They explore and learn more about the world around them through their interactions with people and new findings. By engaging in play, children are able to feed their curiosity. When developing lesson plans, I always try to include some form of hands-on learning for my students, especially since they are younger! Over my last teachings, I found they were able to better master the concept and interpret the information when they are given a hands-on activity to support and/or mimic the new information they are presented with.