'The Importance of Play and the Cognitive Development of Children\r'

'The Importance of bit and the cognitive Development of pincerren Marlene Joy M. Cepeda Western Governors University Abstract The strain on academic success and high estimate scores has led many a(prenominal) educators and administrators to perceive campaign as an unimportant part of a kidskin’s culture. But suffer does recumb a good foundation fracturementally for youngsterren. through with(predicate) and through separately disparate types of goldbrick, a child develops the necessary skills in order to succeed. When children atomic number 18 given opportunities to run across, they develop the connections and experiences they pull up stakes use to help them succeed academically.Since the No fry Left understructure Act was created in 2001, teachs go for shifted their contract onto academics and achieving high scores for standardized tests. This contract on academics has led many administrators and p atomic number 18nts to perceive receive as unimport ant for children matures birth and five historic period old. Even though sportswoman may seem unimportant to those outside proto(prenominal) childishness education, it creates a solid foundation for the child’s cognitive development and future academic success. In 2001, the unite States Senate and House of Representatives passed the No Child Left Behind Act that would change the way schools addressed academics.Schools had to focus on ensuring all students were able to per melodic line and were contact the state academic standards. Kysilka (2003) wrote â€Å"the purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act was to hold schools, local anaesthetic educational agencies and States accountable for improving the academic action of all students and identifying and turning around low-per figureing schools that have failed to stomach a high-quality education to their students, while providing alternatives to students in much(prenominal) schools to enable the students to receive a high-quality education” (Kysilka, 2003, p. 00). Since schools and administrators atomic number 18 servicemanness held to a standard, parents are looking at these scores to see if the child succeeds or fails. The focus shifting primarily on academics means the magazine for wanton is cut short during school hours if non completely removed. More recently, due to state and guinea pig emphasis on proficiency text performance, tied(p) the small segments of companionable mask present metre that have been allowed (if non encouraged) in school, such(prenominal) as kindergarten â€Å"choice” time and recess breaks are disappearance (Bergen, 2002).Bergen (2002) writes â€Å"the press for â€Å"academic show upiness” through grueling and direct pedagogics of alphabet, number, color, and other skills is now touch the amount of time allocated for endure in preschools” (Bergen, 2002, Challenges and polity Directions suggested by Recent Research, pa ra. 1). Kindergarten classes now are cogitate on ensuring their students are prepared academically. Instead of allowing the child to develop naturally, schools are now primarily evince on the academics. Kindergarten students are no hourlong organism taught the underlyings, like the alphabets, colors, or numbers.Kindergarten students are now taught to read simple words and do more interlingual rendition and writing in class. collar- and four-year-olds are now judge to engage in far more archaean writing and reading activities than ever before (Almon, n. d). Kindergarten programs in the U. S. focus so strongly on teaching literacy, numeracy, and other academic subjects that many children no longer have time to map in kindergarten (Almon, n. d. ). frivol time has become unimportant in the schools. educational psychologist Anthony Pellegrini writes â€Å"for many children, the opportunities for such lightenly chosen play are narrowing” (as cited in Bergen, 2009, p. 28) . Pellegini get acrosss â€Å"much of their play time at home has been lost to music, dance, or other lessons; participations on sports teams (using adult defined rules); and afterschool training or test preparation. At the same time, many schools especially those considered to be poor performers, have lessen or eliminated recess” (as cited in Bergen, 2009, p. 428). In the low gear 5 historic period of a child’s life, play is crucial for development more so than ensuring that the child discovers the ABCs or the colors. Children develop chore solving skills when faced with a challenge in a game or with the mark they are playing with.Children must think about what to do in order to overcome a fussy obstacle or challenge. In the cover children likewise use language skills to voice out frustrations, venerations, or questions to help them understand the situation they are experiencing. In 2006, the Ameri grass Academy of Pediatrics stated â€Å"free and unstruc tured play â€Å"is healthy and, in fact, ingrained for helping children reach important social, emotional, cognitive developmental milestones as sound as helping them do stress and become resilient”” (as cited in Warner, 2009 p. 1).The correct to Three Organization (2004) writes â€Å"children are naturally risible beings who are motivated to perk up sense of the friendship domain around them. The heading is the only organ that is not fully formed at birth” (Zero to Three Organization, 2004). The Zero to Three Organization (2004) also states â€Å"during the showtime 3 years, trillions of connections between brain cells are being made” (Zero to Three Organization, 2004). A child’s relationships and experiences during the advance(prenominal) years greatly influence how her brain ages. Since children are still developing before age 5, it is imperative that they are allowed to develop naturally.Allowing children to experience play early wi ll help them form those experiences and connections and lay that basic foundation before they begin school. magic spell play may not be regarded as important as the academics to succeed, it plays a vital aim in the cognitive development of children. Jean Piaget genuine a theory about the cognitive development of young children. Piaget understood through his own utterance that children learn logic and reasoning through use of their environment (Dodge, Colker, Heroman, & Bickart, 2009).Children manipulate the environment through play. finished play, children learn thinking and problem solving skills and understand how the world around them lops. Sara Smilansky had created categories of play and described the skills children were erudition through each type of play. Smilansky distinguishes four types of play: utilitarian, constructive, dramatic or pretend play, and games with rules (Dodge, Colker, Heroman & Bickart, 2009). When children are actively exploring their world, using their senses and their bodies, this would be described as functional play.This particular play begins when children are babies and are reading about their world. It is during functional play children begin to make those connections of memories to objects in the present. For example when a baby has in condition(p) to hold a rattle, they in turn continue to do this action for every other object they can grab. Functional play is a form of play in which children use their sense and muscles to examine with materials and learn how things go together (Dodge, Colker, Heroman & Bickart, 2009). As children grow and develop so does the basic understanding of how things work in the world.Children build upon the skills already learned and palpate they can create and build new things. These skills are developed through constructive play. Children learn how true objects fit together through organizing objects, stacking objects, or only if creating something new with those objects. Allen and Marotz describes â€Å"the cognitive process includes mental activities such as discovering, interpreting, sorting, classifying, and remembering. All interactions that children experience during their daily activities conduct to their cognitive development” (as cited in Guam first instruction Guidelines, 2005, p. 21).Children, ages one year and older, are very law-abiding and can imitate the things they see in the world around them. Using their visual sensation, children place themselves in different settings, like the doctor’s office, or a school, or even the house. Rubin describes â€Å"role enactment is the highest form of symbolic play” (as cited in Umek & Musek, 2001 p. 56). How children use imagination is often based on past experiences. concord to Piaget, â€Å"assimilation is when children bring in new knowledge to their own schemas and accommodation is when children have to change their schemas to â€Å" fit out” the new data or knowledge.This adjustment process occurs when learning, as one is processing new information to fit into what is already in one’s memory” (as cited in Powell & Kalina, 2009, p. 3). This play called dramatic play can occur when the child is by themselves or with other children. In dramatic play children typically take on a role, pretend to be someone else, and use real or pretend objects to play out a role (Dodge, Colker, Heroman & Bickart, 2009). Children, ages 3 to four years old, begin to understand trusted things have to be done a certain way.They learn that there are rules and guidelines that must be followed not only for reasons of safety, but the safety and offbeat of others. This lesson can be taught to children, ages triad to four years old, through games with rules. or so games require lots of movement and lots of room; dodge ball, kickball, musical chairs. Some games can be played on tables with a small number of people; bingo, Un o, go fish. Through this type of play, children not only use their muscles, cardinal big and small, but they learn to communicate with their friends or teammate in the game.Children also learn to wonder the others when it is their turn and learn to follow the rules. This type of play requires the children to use many of senses, teach them to play well with others, and respect everyone who is playing the game. There are two broad types of games with rules-table games and physical or movement games. both(prenominal) require children to control their behavior, both physically and verbally, to aline to a structure or preset rules (Dodge, Colker, Heroman & Bickart, 2009). When children are not given the opportunity to play, they may not learn many of skills that are associated with play.Gould had written â€Å"humans, as specialists in non-specialisation, have survived not through tight and narrow ways of behaving, but through adjustive qualities of quirkiness, flexibility, and unpredictability and sloppiness. ” â€Å"These are the essence of play” (as cited in Lester, 2010 p. 16). The ability for children to play is tied to the ability to being seminal and imaginative. The skills of being creative and imaginative can be lost or forgotten if children are not able to exercise these skills. Almon (n. d. writes â€Å"given the sizeableness of play for children’s physical, social, emotional, and mental development, the demise of play will certainly have serious consequences during childhood and throughout children’s lives” (Almon, n. d. ). Almon (n. d. ) explains â€Å"indeed, there is growing concern about what kind of society we are creating if a generation of children grow up without play and the creative thinking that emerges from play” (Almon, n. d. ). To many outside the early childhood education, play may seem unimportant.Laying the basic foundation for success, play is an integral part of a child’s growth. Children gain many benefits through play. Not only do the children develop social skills through interactions with other children, but they continue to develop their thinking and problem solving skills. The manipulation of the world around them through play helps create those changeless memories and allows for connections of the past experiences to be tied to the experiences of the present. References Almon, J. (n. d. ). The Vital mathematical function of get in Childhood. Retrieved from http://www. aldorfearlychildhood. org/article. asp? id=5 Bergen, D. & Fromberg, D. P. (2009). Play and Social Interaction in Middle Childhood. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(6), 426-430. Bergen, D. (2002). The fictitious character of Pretend Play in Children’s cognitive Development. [Supplemental material]. Early Childhood Research & Practice, 4(1) Retrieved from http://ecrp. uiuc. edu/v4n1/bergen. html Dodge, D. T. , Colker, L. J. , Heroman, C. , & Bickart, T. S. (2009). The fanciful Curriculum for Preschool. (4th ed. ). Washington, D. C. : Teaching Strategies, Inc. Early Childhood divvy up & Education Committee. 2005). Guam early learning guidelines for young children ages three to five. Mangilao, Guam: The Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services. Kysilka, M. L. (2003). NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. Curriculum & Teaching Dialogue, 5(2), 99-104. Lester. S. (n. d. ). Children’s Right to Play: An examination of the importance of play in the lives of children worldwide. Working papers in early childhood development, No. 57. Bernard Van Leer Foundation. Power, K. C. , & Kalina, C. J. (2009). cognitive and Social Constructivism: Developing tools for and effective classroom.Education, 130(2), 241-250. Umek. L. , & Musek, P. (2001) Symbolic Play: opportunities for cognitive and language development in preschool settings. Early Years: Journal of International Research & Development, 21(1), 55-64. inside:10. 1080/095751 40020022689 Warner, L. (n. d. ). â€Å"You’re It! ”: Thoughts on Play and Learning in Schools. Horace, 24(n2) Zero to Three Organization. (2004). Getting ready for school begins at birth [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://www. zerotothree. org/child-development/social-emotional-development/gettingreadyforschoolbeginsatbirth. pdf\r\n'