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In the early childhood classroom play is an essential part of the emotional, social, and cognitive development of children in preschool through third grade. It is important topic for all educators to address and be knowledgeable about due to its various benefits. These include the natural occurrence of play; the developmental achievements gained; the social component acquired through playful interactions; the ability of play to be educational and incorporated throughout the grade level curriculums; the therapeutic aspects of play for both the average learner and those with disabilities; the ability for teachers to become more initiative in their application of traditional teaching styles and the ability for students to learn initiative processes, creative thinking, and problem solving though play; and team building skills learned through interactions with peers.
Research shows multiple benefits from play being incorporated in the elementary classroom not just at the preschool and kindergarten level. It has been easily dismissed by some educators as being unproductive and disorganized and has been replaced with more traditional methods of teaching. However, when truly understanding play one can implement it into their classroom in productive and organized ways. This can be done by using play as an educational tool while conducting lessons (organized) or through the allowance of children to explore and discover knowledge on their own through centers (unorganized/independent). Organized play is defined as the educator purposefully planning for play to be incorporated into the curriculum and having control over the situation and environment where the play is occurring. Unorganized play is not completely unplanned, however, the teacher is not intending for specific play behaviors or discoveries to occur. This can be seen in the creation of centers which are designed for the students to explore and question various educational topics through their own play encounters. When these two types of play occur in the classroom the teacher can use these observations in various ways. They can use this information to assess students ability to focus on specific play activities, to assess their capability to inquire about new information and to solve problems independently or while working with peers. The teacher can also use observations to plan for future lessons and curriculum activities.
These benefits can be further understood through the information provided by professional development opportunities, information on play found in articles and resources, interactive sites for children, center and curriculum ideas that incorporate play, lesson plan ideas teachers and educators, and resources for both parents and teachers.
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