play

Starting preschool is a big milestone for a child. Since preschool prepares children for the type of learning that takes place in kindergarten. With that being said, there is no better place than going to a preschool in Santa Ana and Anaheim school districts, where Jumpstart corps members have a huge influence on all their partner children. It might be surprising too many but often many times when grown ups hear the word play they tend to oversee the importance of play in the classroom. Being in Jumpstart, this last two years and reading the textbook The Play’s the Thing by Elizabeth Jones and Gretchen Reynolds I was able to see how Play is really important for children because when they are involve in playing they are developing their literacy skills, by trying out new vocabulary words, listening to the core storybooks, or pretend play in the dramatic play area. Along with helping them in their social skills such as learning how to get along with others since many may be an only child. Then they are also learning on their thinking skills such as learning to take turns when there is no more bicycles outside to play with along with learning many other things as well.

Being a Jumpstart Corps member there are many forms in which we all help our partner children be ready for kindergarten. According to Elizabeth Jones and Gretchen Reynolds, it mentions how interactions with peers through play is an effective way of developing skills and strategies, along with acquiring new ways of thinking and behaving. Hence, just by the simply act of team Rex going inside the classroom for session because we tend to use different cooperative learning exercises in the play area the children are learning a lot more. Nonetheless, some play activities ...

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...sychosocial development. With that being said, there are many types of play such as sensory motor, practice, social, constructive play. All this types of play offer young children the opportunity to put into action the ideas they are being presented to in the core storybooks every week. For example, when the children were exposed to playing with the mailbox we brought in for dramatic play it helped them understand and process the vocabulary such as stamp, mailbox, what they write on the envelope.

Overall, the textbook The Play’s the Thing and class lectures helped me to realize that there are many types of learning environments in the preschool classroom and that play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning. That’s why I am glad to be apart of this amazing program in order to help the children learn in many ways and be ready for kindergarten.