The Serious Side of Play
Tuesday 10th of September 2013 | Category: Opinion | Written by: Michaela FoxBefore my daughter had her second birthday she could recognise and recite every letter of the alphabet. Her interest in letters was entirely instinctual and she noticed them everywhere. On walks she would insist upon reading the letters on road signs, car registration plates and letterboxes. It would take a long time to get anywhere! At home she would read the letters on cereal packets, magazines, advertising material and on the fridge.
“She is gifted” people would say. Inwardly I wondered if they were right. She showed a natural inclination for learning and her language developed at a rapid rate from the age of two. I was excited by her development and eager for her to kindergarten, believing that her academic development would escalate. When I attended her kindergarten orientation I enquired about the “program”. “What will they be learning?” I asked? Imagine my surprise when I was told, “They will be having fun”.
I was stunned. I had the misconception that kinder was the pathway to school and would introduce my daughter to learning in a focussed and formal setting. This was the first time I had ever heard the term “play-based learning. ” Initially, I confess I was sceptical. I felt that my daughter spent enough time playing and having fun at home. It was time to learn. My daughter needed to be stimulated intellectually. I was wrong.
What I have learnt is that whilst my daughter may be advanced with her language, she lacks the confidence and maturity to use it. She finds group environments intimidating and has trouble participating. She also lacks emotional and social maturity and has difficulty separating from me. At home, she is talkative, bright and energetic. However outside her comfort zone she is quiet and shy. My daughter could best be described as a “slow to warm” personality, preferring to stay in the background and watch. When she started three-year old kinder, I began to see the importance of preschool learning and, most significantly, learning though play.
The pre-school years are important in building a plethora of emotional, social and cognitive skills. During my daughter’s first year at kinder, I have seen many developments. Through shared play she is building confidence and important social skills. She is also exploring mathematical concepts, showing increasing independence and developing imagination and creativity. Play is teaching her concepts of symmetry, balance and design and problem solving skills. It is also extending her in the areas of self -expression, hand/eye coordination, counting, sorting and classifying. And all this is being learned through play and fun!
My eagerness to accelerate her academic learning has stalled. I realise now there is no hurry and that I want my daughter to “flourish”, not just “cope”. After all, education is a lifelong process. Watching her grow and develop is one of the most fascinating aspects of parenting. I watch her now and I value her social and emotional development as equally as her oral language and numeracy skills. I am more interested in seeing her establish friendships with her peers, and building confidence, than academic learning.
Recently she reached a significant developmental milestone that had nothing to do with letters or numbers. We were at her music class and the instructor called for volunteers amongst the kids to help her with a song. I sat back and waited for all the other children to jump over each other to get to the front. And then, quietly and tentatively, my daughter stood up and moved to the front of the room. Whilst she almost got bowled over by the more confident kids, the instructor noticed her coming and welcomed her to the front. I sat on the mat and watched as my daughter stood in front of the class and shook a maraca and danced to the song with a shy but assured smile and sparkle in her eyes. I cannot fully express the pride I felt upon witnessing this display of confidence and joy. My eyes welled with tears, and at that moment I have never been prouder.
I have realised that essential life skills are learned through play, and that this cannot be undervalued. There is plenty of time to learn to read and write. Preschool years should be about fun, and I want my daughter to have a lot of it!
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