Toddlers: Learning through Play
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood,” said Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fame.
I am three toddlers into this motherhood journey and can attest that children come into this world needing to learn pretty much everything. They must learn how to eat, sit, stand, walk, talk, wave, stack, color, jump, open a book and so on. Playing is the natural way in which young ones learn and, as Albert Einstein said, “Play is the highest form of research.”
Children are curious like little kitties and naturally want to know about their world and how it works. According to the National Association for the Education of Young
Children, “The impulse to play comes from a natural desire to understand the world. This play impulse is as strong as your child’s desire for food or sleep.” Based on my extensive Wild Kratts observations, this drive is like wolves learning how to hunt and be part of their pack by playing as pups. Our babies are learning how to interact with their family and friends and how to mimic adults in daily life.
“At our core, Parents as Teachers believes that children’s main work is play. A child’s brain is forming and making connections at a rapid pace. Play allows children to be little scientists, discovering and experimenting with the world. Play benefits every area of development,” says Michelle Kelley, coordinator at Blue Valley Parents as Teachers. “Cognitively, when provided a safe place to explore, children are able to learn about cause and effect, problem solving, concepts such as gravity, balance, sequencing and more. Open play allows children to increase their persistence, attention span and memory, all skills important for school readiness. Through pretend play, children learn to use symbolic thinking. When they are pretending a block is a phone, they are exercising the same part of the brain that will later learn a number stands for a quantity or a letter sound. Physically, play allows children to be active and use their bodies. Playgrounds provide opportunities to build muscle while climbing, coordination while balancing and awareness of how their bodies move in space. If a playground is not convenient, set up an obstacle course at home. Use pillows to climb over, a large box to climb through, tape off circles to jump to…be creative!”
As a mom to three, I am well aware of the plethora of toys out there claiming to be educational. The reality is kids will learn with basically anything they are given, whether it’s the top-rated coding caterpillar or a rubber spatula and items in the recycling bin. Traditional and open-ended toys allow children to utilize and exercise their imaginations. For example, my daughter was given the Fisher-Price Little Snoopy toy when she was around 3 years old. That simple pull-along toy has been well loved by her and her two little brothers as they continue to walk it around and care for the puppy while their siblings pretend to be puppies along with the toy. My children all have also enjoyed playing with a cheap squirt bottle of water or dry pasta with some containers and scoops.
“Children love a partner in their play. Getting on the floor and joining the child in play is encouraged and offers language and social benefits while strengthening the parent-child relationship,” Kelley says. Now some parents genuinely enjoy playing pretend, but not all of us. I have learned I prefer playing outside with my children or reading to them. It also helps me to schedule an outing each day to make sure we have a time set aside to play. Heading out to a park, your local library, the Johnson County Museum or Wonderscope Children’s Museum for a couple of hours of playtime can be a great way for you and your children to spend time together and for them to experience interacting with other children.
It’s important to find out what you like to play and that your toddler can associate playing with that particular toy or game with you. My children love playing “Mamagator/Dadagator,” which has somehow become our family’s version of tag. You may not be the top chef in plastic food but perhaps you enjoy reminiscing about your toddler’s babyhood by caring for her favorite stuffed monkey. Add some entertainment for yourself and try challenging your spouse or friends via social media by seeing just how high you can get that tower of blocks! (#parentsplaytimechallenge anyone?) Your children will enjoy seeing you having fun and being happy while taking a break from the stressors of adult life.
“Kids learn to share, what their interests are, how to be a friend, how much of something they can hold or manage and work their imagination through play,” says Meredith Barreth, Overland Park mother of three and preschool teacher at Sonshine School in Overland Park. “With all the screens these days, I feel it is more important than ever to encourage play. I think rotating toys helps keep things fresh or having a friend over helps.”
So let your kids be kids and simply play. Give them time, space and be their playmate. After all, who’s to argue with Einstein and Mr. Rogers?
Stephanie Loux is the wife of Mike and proud mother of Layla, 7, Mason, 5, and Slade, 2, and attempts to write from her home when it’s quiet. You can check out more of her writing at LettersFromTheLouxs.blogspot.com.