Time flies and kids grow fast, which is why you need to ensure your child’s early years will benefit them for a lifetime. To help with this, you need to get acquainted with the best methods for promoting cognitive development and social skills.
Play-based learning has been found to be a very successful method of guiding preschoolers toward healthy growth. Play is completely natural to them so they respond in a positive way to this method. Lots of research has been done on the subject, and the findings prove that play-based education is important, both at home and at school. The following post describes what one company found about play-based learning:
Lego’s research into play based learning
It may be a company with commercial interests but can Lego change the way we approach early education in this country?
There was a very interesting piece in the press lately about the concerns the Lego Foundation have over the neglect of play-based learning. They are funding a research project to investigate its effect.
Play based learning helps develop valuable skills like creativity, hand-eye coordination and problem solving, all needed for the development of literacy and numeracy as well as other skills. Yet because of the structure and formal pursuit of these academic subjects play opportunities are abandoned far too early, they suggest.
Pedal (the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning at Cambridge University) would back up their view.
As explained, play-based learning helps develop a host of skills in children that span both formal and informal educational settings. The paradox is that this method is being left out of preschoolers’ curriculum with increasing frequency. This is a mistake.
When we delve into play-based learning further, we find that different play activities affect different aspects of childhood development. For instance, the following post describes some activities that increase your child’s potential to learn:
4 Play-Based Activities that Increase Your Child’s Learning Potential
There are few relationships in the world more natural than the relationship between children and play. Especially during infancy, toddlerhood and preschool, playtime provides much more than simple entertainment. Young children are inherently curious and imaginative, and creative play is how they explore and learn about the world around them. Parents and caregivers can help facilitate play-based learning by tapping into this process.
Play to Learn
Little ones’ rapidly developing brains turn the ordinary into extraordinary during playtime. Play, especially make-believe or pretend play, allows children to explore, imagine, create and interact with others. Pretend play promotes cognitive, language, physical, social and emotional development in children, helping to build a strong foundation for future learning.
While the benefits of play-based learning are varied and significant, it’s important to realize that not all play is equally beneficial for promoting learning. In fact, some toys may prove counter-productive if they don’t encourage children to think on their own. The following post takes a closer look at good and bad toys for encouraging play-based learning:
Bad Toys and Best Strategies for Promoting Play-Based Learning
Anything that requires batteries or buttons to get its play-value is not a good toy. While brands such as LeapFrog and Vtech have educational content programmed into their toys, these toys aren’t great for early childhood learning.
Often these toys are marketed as “developmental” because the toy has so many different functions. Unfortunately, this often has the opposite effect for the child. The more a toy does, the less your child has to do. If your child can sit and watch the toy “perform,” then it is likely more entertaining than educational… In short, the most useful toys are those that require the most action on the part of a young child. The more children have to use their minds and bodies to make something work, the more they learn.
With all this information, you should have a better idea for making playtime at home even more beneficial for your child. You should also be better prepared to find a preschool that will promote their learning and development. By every metric, Spanish for fun! is your best bet.
We combine the loving care that your child needs with Spanish language education, cultural learning and lots of fun activities. Get in touch with us today to schedule a tour of our Wake Forest Daycare Center. Call 919-881-1695 or complete the contact form. We look forward to showing you why your child will thrive with us.