Learning through Imaginative Play

It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Pine Orchard Nursery School that the teachers, and the parents, are supporters of children learning through imaginative play. But did you know that there is real science backing up this style of teaching? Gladys Deutsch, Director at the Leila Day School in New Haven (one of the oldest preschools in the country), and Early Childhood Education Consultant Barbara Stern explained some of the new developments in research on how children learn at the PONS Annual Meeting on May 21.

"On one level, [play is] so intuitive and so much a part of a child's world," Deutsch said to begin the presentation. "On another level, in our results-based ... environment, we feel insecure about play." But, Deutsch continued, "Play is the most powerful way a child can learn."

As many schools deepen their focus on introducing academic-learning at younger and younger ages, eliminating or shortening time for recess or dramatic play -- such as spending time in a kitchen area and running a restaurant with friends, or playing house (or astronauts, or journalists, or explorers) -- preschools are realizing that earlier advertising philosophies did them a disservice. Years ago, preschools advertised themselves as play-based rather than academic, creating the idea of a divide between the two philosophies. In reality, play has a very direct link to academic performance. Stern stated that dramatic play introduces concepts like:

• self-regulation. Children invent their own rules (or roles) and must follow them for the game to continue. Their peers are likely to correct them if they aren't properly acting the part of the Daddy, baby, or dog, so they must learn to keep themselves inside the rules of the role.
• symbolic representation. When children choose to have a banana represent a phone, or a stick represent a magic wand, they are teaching themselves a form of abstract thinking that paves the way to recognizing symbols -- such as numbers and letters -- as things that can have meaning. This helps form connections needed for reading, writing, and mathematics.
• teamwork. Deutsch cited a recent study that said CEOs are less concerned with the abilities and skills of young people applying for jobs than they were with their ability to work together as a team.
• self-direction. "The role of the teacher is as facilitator, not the director of the play," Deutsch explained. In dramatic play, children take the lead to tell their own stories, developing confidence needed to become leaders in other contexts.