Can Children Play and Learn At the Same Time?

I was with a little four year old yesterday introducing a lesson that involved roles and responsibilities. I try the best that I possibly can to not talk so much that the children rely too much on the words that I speak in order to learn the concepts that are being presented to him. So I do what I love to do best: I PLAY!

For some reason, he liked the activity so much that every time we needed to transition to other tasks, he would ask if we could revisit our original lesson. This happened again - and again - and again. So I made eye contact and asked him, "Does your school have toys like this in your classroom?" His response was, "No, not really.". I then asked - "Have you been on a field trip at your school?". That response was the same as the first, "No, other than petting an animal - I don't know what a field trip is.." That's when it all came together - this child is not playing enough in school.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is very important that children play at the very early states of life because it contributes to the "cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth". Some individuals have even gone so far as to say that it is a fundamental right that all children have. If this is the case, then why are less and less children playing during these incremental periods of life?

Given the fact that the post-modern family is pressured to perform and engages in a very hurried lifestyle, the necessity of playing many not take precedence in the family schedule. The transition from playing that helps children learn social rules and mores to time spent on structured academics has taken its toll as children have grown less adept of handling behaviors that they are unfamiliar with. Play, for the sake of understanding as we know it, has gone away.

Going back to the little client in my story, it makes me sad that despite the thousands of dollars that his parents spend on his education, he is not playing as much as I think he should. It shows when he goes home and is unregulated because his mind and creativity was unable to be set free, and it makes me extremely upset. As an educator, there are always opportunities to restructure activities so that children are playing. From teaching them the parts of your body to solving the most simple of calculus problems - play should never go away.