Pixel International Conferences

Play is the most important part of child’s life, and the importance of play cannot be matched. Through play children are solving problems, thinking critically, communicating, exploring new things, and learning about the surrounding world.

Some of the other skills that children learn, develop, and strengthen through play are: taking initiative, taking risks, making mistakes, making choices. They also learn to regulate emotions, sharing, resilience, leadership, flexibility, independence…the list may go on.

The problem early childhood educators face today is that preschool has become Kindergarten, and Kindergarten – first grade. The DfE (Department of Education) has selected the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to ‘design and deliver’ a new Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA), which is being trialed in schools from September 2019. The Baseline will be mandatory for all pupils in England from September 2020. It looks like – despite anger from teachers – more and more testing, worksheets, and structured activities are finding their place in preschools all over the Western world.

Therefore, we have decided – as an independent school – to go against the trends and have play as an important part despite hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, and increased attention to academics.

With a strong belief, that it is not an either/or situation, we built play – indoors and outdoors - consciously into a daily schedule. Just in several months, we have seen children’s ability to amuse themselves increase, they started taking risks bolder, and they began using imagination more.

Two of the biggest challenges were parents’ and teachers’ hesitance and/or resistance, therefore, we introduced play into Teachers’ Academy and Parents’ Academy where we taught adults about the importance of play and we taught them how to “support children so that their play contributes in deep and far-reaching, lasting ways to their lifelong learning” (Bruce, T. 2011).

Keywords: Early childhood education, fair play, changing mindsets, teacher training

[1] Bruce, T. (2011) Learning Through Play, Bookpoint Ltd: London.

[2] Bruce T. (1991) Time to Play in Early Childhood Education, Hodder and Stoughton: London.

[3] Christie, J. (ed.) (1991) Play and Early Literacy Development, State University of New York Press: New York.

[4] Kallialla, M. (2006) Play Culture in a Changing World, Open University Press: Maidenhead.

[5] Mayles, J. (ed.) (2010) The Excellence of Play, 2^nd edition, Open University Press: Buckingham, Philadelphia.

[6] Orr, R. (2003) My Right to Play, Open University Press: Maidenhead.

[7] Brown, S. (2010) Play, Penguin: New York.

[8] Louv, R. (2008) Last Child in the Woods, Algonquin Books: Chapel Hill.

[9] Carter, C. (2011) Raising Happiness, Ballantine Books: New York.

[10] Elkind, D. (2007) The Power of Play, Da Capo Press: Philadelphia.

[11] Mogel, W. (2001) The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Scribner: New York.