Philosophy Paper 1.) Why have you chosen to be in this field? The first 5 years are pivotal in a child’s life. What a child learns during this fundamental period will forever mold and shape them. It is a tremendous benefit that they have exposure to an excellent teaching staff. It would be desirable that all children could avail this resource. However, though that is idealistic, I hope my entry into the field improves the lives of the children I serve. It is my aim to meet this standard of excellence in guiding children to learn developmentally appropriate skills which will help them achieve a successful academic future. I am aware that I will be setting the tone for their future as a student. This is their first exposure to school. Drilling children with a curriculum that is not suitable for their age and stage will create many adverse effects. For example, children who are pressured to sit down and learn to read in preschool will likely hate attending and not want to go. Their self esteem may suffer and they will lose a potential love for learning. Sadly, these children are exposed to an unnecessary stress and may resort to feelings of failure if they don’t meet the expectations of the adults. One thing a child will need to succeed in life and academics is self confidence—a quality I will do my utmost to instill in each child. I love children. I enjoy talking, playing, guiding, and caring for them. I don’t want to stifle their promise for doing well in school and life by forcing developmental growth on them. Rather, I want children to learn by doing what they love—play. I want to facilitate their learning in ways that will both pleasurable and appropriate to their level. I want to be someone they will trust, respect and enjoy.... ... middle of paper ... ...arn appropriate behavior by observing teachers accomplishing a task while demonstrating the self-regulation needed to complete it. However, it is essential that the teachers remain consistent. They can also model socially correct responses by being active participants in conversations with their children and facilitating/mediating peer-to-peer support during times of conflict. For instance, the teachers will employ strategies to help the children come up with solutions to their own conflicts by asking questions. A good educator will allow the children freedom to test and try their solutions seek a different solution if the first attempt was not successful. This is often very effective at teaching children problem solving skills and also curbing the surge of emotion from their problem. Instead, the child will redirect their feelings and time towards fixing the issue.
Many theorists have tried to define play as a concept, however, no two agree on a set definition. Their backgrounds and induvial lifestyles influence the way they see the importance of play. Reed and Brown also believe that there isn’t an agreed definition of play because is something that is felt rather than done (Reed & Brown, 2000 cited in Brock, Dodd’s, Jarvis & Olusoga, 2009). In spite of this, it is clear that most theorists uphold the ethos that play is imperative to a child’s learning and development. There is a wide range of different studies and theories which helps us develop our own perception of what play is. In my personal experience I have found play to be a way of expressive our emotions, exploring and learning new things, thus
Play is important for a child’s holistic development which comprises of physical (gross and fine motor development), intellectual (analyzing, understanding, concentrating), language (communicating with others like speech), emotional (emotions, identity) and social (relationship with others) (MCI, Child development module, chapter I, 2013). A holistic approach revolves around the child and sees each child as an individual. All children pass through each area of development and learn different things at different stages of growth like crawling, walking, etc. All are linked together and if any one aspect is not achieved then the child will have delays or problem reaching his milestones (Sheridan, 2002). The play should be always initiated by the child otherwise the child will not enjoy their play or get creative.
Ginsburg, K. R. (2006). "The Species of the World. " The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent–Child Bonds. USA: American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Alison Gopnik’s drew the following truth that “children are intellectually more skilled and far more sophisticated in their thinking then we ever imagined”(Gopnik2009). Gopnik also stated preschoolers are extremely well designed for learning. They are naturally curious. They learn through exploring and playing. “The value of play” was also presented in Gopnik’s research. He clarified that when children engage in pretend play, they will have imaginary characters and explore other world. They are learning peoples’ nature, how people think, do, and work. This helps them understand themselves and other people, to improve their social traits or in balancing school, and to increase their social competences in life. Gopnik demonstrated the idea
This article begins by discussing the relationship between play and social/emotional development. A child’s emotional development is vital to developing into a healthy adult that can deal with all the stress and hectic lifestyle that accompanies life in today’s society. According to these authors, when children are exposed to child-led play they “increase their social competence and emotional maturity…. verbal and nonverbal skills… respond to their peers’ feelings… experiment with roles”(SOURCE!!!!). They skills that a child can acquire through the simple act of playing are essential to their healthy development. Children can “increase their social competence and emotional maturity” by learning how to relieve stress and cope with their feeling while playing. For example, a young child may learn that when they are sad, they can play with their toys in such a way that d...
My desire for children in my care is that their learning journey would be meaningful as they explore the ideas and activities they are interested in. This means that I believe that children are naturally motivated learners and should have the opportunity to learn through their own explorations and through collaboration with other children and educators. I believe this can be done through both teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities and supported through play. I also believe that play is a natural and enjoyable means through which children learn. In my practice I aim to encourage children’s natural ...
Children have a natural inclination to play, alongside a natural instinct to learn and to be curious and inventive, which are characteristics of the human race in general. This quote taken from Janet Moyles is a good starting point for this essay. It is well known that children love to play. If a child were to be left to his/her own devices they would happily play and create new worlds anywhere they were left. It has been well documented and researched that children learn excellently through play. However they are not always given the opportunity to do so, instead being told to, ‘finish your work and then you can go play’. Obviously this is not always the case, but the fact that it is a common practice shows that we do not all fully appreciate the importance of play to children’s learning. This essay will attempt to show how children learn through play, making reference to current theory and practice. I will also give examples from my own first-hand experience of how children learn and develop as people through play.
‘‘Play is the most ideally effective form of developmental aid because the child becomes familiar with the world, himself, and his limits’’ (Sutton-Smith, 2001)
My current perceptions of young children’s learning comes from working as a parent helper assistant at my children’s kindergarten for many years and my observation of children’s learning.
The education of children has existed since the beginning of time as parents have taught and molded their children into the young adults they desired them to be. Initial training of children was not in a formal setting, although history would see numerous settings, purposes, and methodological changes. Philosophies of education have also changed through the years as various voices have seemed to grasp the purpose of educating the next generation, thus laying out objectives to reach those goals of teaching children.
I have faith in the leaders of children, teachers, the ones that labor endlessly to guide children out of love and to nurture their learning abilities. Let’s put an end to childhood depression and phobia of school, as the book “Einstein Never Used Flash Cards” speaks out about. Allow children to be children and learn naturally through the childhood development domains educators know work. Put an end to developmentally inappropriate practices and let true beauty shine, the beauty that possesses great power and force, the power of play.
Play is a vital part of a child’s life. Outdoor play promotes opportunities for creativity, imagination, social contacts, and learned behavior. Play serves various purposes in a child’s development. Play helps developing values among children. According to Brown (2009) “play is the basis of all art, games, books, sports, movies, fashion, fun, and wonder – in short, the basis of what we think of as civilization. All kinds of play have a key role in children’s development. Through play children explore their environment and world.” “Young children learn the most important things not by being told but by constructing knowledge for themselves in interaction with the physical world and with other children and
In Kindergarten school, some parent believes play is the best way for young children to learn the conceptions, skills, and set a solid foundation for later school and life success. In the other hand, many parents disagree and believe play is a waste of time, messy, noisy, and uneducationall. I believe play is not waste of time, but it something worth to fight for, in this presentation I would show parent the main importance of some of the numerous kinds of play, and why play is a fundamental basis for improving children’s ability to succeed in school and life.
The child is a complex creature and, as such, has many needs that need to be met. Some of these essentials center on physical needs, whereas others involve emotional necessities. Over the course of the semester, I have encountered many interesting theories of child development, as well as numerous ways to create a classroom that is a center of learning—so many, in fact that it has been quite challenging trying to narrow the important takeaways down to only seven. However, it seems as though there are a few overarching themes that are essential to remember, and I will outline them below.
Many people who do not understand the importance of play for children and degrade the idea that children are allowed to play especially free play instead of structured learning activities. As those of us who are care providers and early childhood educators know; children learn as they play and, while playing, they learn how to learn. According to Sue Palmer, “Play is the name we give to children’s inborn wish to explore their world” (London, 2010). Tim Gill goes on to expand on this idea of play by saying, “They are kind of exploring uncertainty; they’re taking themselves beyond what they know and understand and into what they are curious about what they want to find out about” (London, 2010). These are great ways to think about how children