Why Play Is the Foundation for Learning

Play is the foundation for learning, because it nourishes every aspect of children’s development. Before a child can even mentally grasp what is being taught at school, he/she must develop cognitive skills through the process of creative play and the use of his/her imagination. Even though people think otherwise, and argue against this, play is considered to be a necessary tool for a child’s growth. Thus, it is what sets the stage for cognitive, intellectual, social, and physical development. Learning occurs when children play with blocks, paint a picture or even play make-believe. During play, children try new things, solve problems, invent, create, test ideas, and explore. The simplest way a child could benefit is to play make believe. By providing children with toys like dolls, kitchenware, dollhouses, etc., they could recreate scenarios they experience at home or wherever else they spend most of their time. This enables them to expand their vocabulary and to practice the art of speaking. By playing with dolls, and creating scenarios for them, they enhance their creativity. These children are given the freedom to use their imagination which gives them the ability to express themselves. This is important because teachers could get a sense of what these children’s personalities and temperaments are like. By observing these children during play time, teachers could gather information about how they interact with or without one another. This could serve as a great advantage, for the teacher would be more prepared to handle these children in classroom settings. The teacher would know what to present to them in a learning environment, so that they are motivated to participate and learn from the experience. Also, if there ever were to be an issue with conduct, or misbehavior, the teacher would know how to approach the child who is misbehaving. This would save a lot of time in the classroom, where the children could be more productive, and open to learning. At