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"Play Is The Work of the
Child"
Maria
Montessori
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Play activities are essential to healthy development for
children and adolescents. Research shows that 75% of
brain
development occurs after birth. The activities engaged in
by children both stimulate and influence the pattern of the
connections made between the nerve cells. This process
influences the development of fine and gross motor skills,
language, socialization, personal awareness, emotional
well-being, creativity, problem solving and learning
ability.
The
most important role that play can have is to help children
to be active, make choices and practice actions to mastery.
They should have experience with a wide variety of content
(art, music, language, science, math, social relations)
because each is important for the development of a complex
and integrated brain. Play that links sensori-motor,
cognitive, and social-emotional experiences provides an
ideal setting from brain development.
According to Montessori, the essential dimensions of play
are:
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Voluntary, enjoyable, purposeful and spontaneous
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Creativity expanded using problem solving skills, social
skills, language skills and physical skills
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Helps expand on new ideas
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Helps the child to adapt socially
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Helps
to thwart emotional problems
If
play is the work of the child, toys are the tools. Through
toys, children learn about their world, themselves, and
others. Toys teach children to:
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Figure out how things work
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Pick
up new ideas
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Build
muscle control and strength
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Use
their imagination
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Solve problems
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Learn to cooperate with others
Play content should come from the child’s own imagination
and experiences.
Unfortunately, the play experience for today’s child is
often quite different from that of their parents.
With the ever expanding influence of electronic media
including TV, videos, video games and the internet, child
are spending much of their time being passively entertained
by or minimally interacting by way of a keyboard or control
pad with an electronic device.
Even today’s toys are more
often
structured by onboard
computers that dictate the play experience.
This robs children of unstructured play with other kids as
well as individual playtime spent in creative play. Parents
need to understand the play needs of their child and provide
an environment to meet those needs.
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Baby (Birth -
24 months)
