The Importance of Play

Playtime is not always regarded as an important part of learning. Many think of it as a time for kids to “blow off steam”, that play is “just for fun”. Play is fun, and that in and of itself is a good reason to include it into your child’s day. But play is actually much more than that.
Through play children construct much of their knowledge about themselves and the world around them. They gain both fine and gross motor skills. They are able to both test theories and come to conclusions about how things work. For example: When your toddler knocks over a block tower or your preschooler drops sticks and leaves from the top of the play structure they are constructing knowledge about gravity. Play like this helps them to familiarize themselves with different concepts so that later (perhaps in school) when these topics are discussed they will be able to understand them. Play is like the foundation upon which the tower of knowledge is built. If we do not help to make this foundation as strong as possible (by encouraging children to engage in creative play on a regular basis) than we will have difficulty building a sturdy tower in later years. After all, who could begin to understand the concept of gravity without having experienced the actions of dropping and falling?
For these reasons play is a very central part of our day here. You can be assured that much of each day will be spent in creative exploration.