The Importance of Play

Our Summer program is all about the Power of Play! Here at the Academy, we are taking the opportunity to focus on meaningful play opportunities to educate and enhance our program. The American Academy of Pediatrics cites play as "essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents (and teachers) to engage fully with... children."

The Academy of Pediatrics also states that play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers. As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges. Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills.When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.

Play also is positively correlated with building active, healthy bodies. In fact, it has been suggested that encouraging unstructured play may be an exceptional way to increase physical activity levels in children, which is one important strategy in the resolution of the obesity epidemic. Perhaps above all, play is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood. At the Academy, play is also an important part of ADULTHOOD :)

Play is integral to the academic environment. It ensures that the school setting attends to the social and emotional development of children as well as their cognitive development. It has been shown to help children adjust to the school setting and even to enhance children’s learning readiness, learning behaviors, and problem-solving skills.

Check out examples of us learning through play below!

 Constructing ramps teaches us about speed, slope, distance and other science and engineering topics. We can make comparisons, predictions and analyze our results!

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child's senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. In this photo, our children are making silly slime! Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

Science involves a lot of communication with other people. Science develops patience and perseverance in kids. Science teaches kids about the world around them.

Science can spark in kids' minds that they can be problem solvers. Pictured above, we are "extracting" bug fossils!

 Many of the motions involved in making art, such as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, are essential to the growth of fine motor skills in young children. Above, we are painting with magnets!

 Among the many skills building teaches, problem solving, imagination, self-expression, mathematics, creativity, science, self- esteem are some of the most notable. Pictured above: How many cups can we stack until our structure collapses? 

Who knew you could walk on eggs? In this activity, we are learning about gravity and pressure! Our friends learned that they could walk on eggs without cracking them!

Play doesn't always have to be serious... we prefer it to be seriously FUN!

For more information about the importance of play, visit: www.naeyc.org/play

For more information about our program, please visit our website at: www.academychilddevelopment.com 

Please nominate us for Best of Parenting at: www.nashvilleparent.com/bop17