Saturday, May 27, 2017
Research that Benefits Children and Families
If I possessed the means and the knowledge to conduct a research study, I would research the correlation between play based curriculum and Kindergarten "readiness". I believe in play based curriculum and believe that self-regulation skills are the number one indicator of Kinder-readiness. In imagining this study, without current restrictions and the reality of the present, I can foresee several positive contributions to the well-being of children and families as well as to the field of Early Childhood as a whole. One positive contribution to the field would be a solidifying of why play based curriculum is an effective way to prepare children for "big" school. A positive contribution to children would be a release of practices that in theory prepare children for Kindergarten, but in reality stifle their creativity and often leave children feeling "less than". For families there would be an understanding of why play is important and a release of pressure knowing their child would be more than ready for Kindergarten and benefit from play based curriculum in every developmental domain. My hope would be that there would be a heightened awareness of play based curriculum, training for professionals on how to present concepts and solidify those concepts using this type of curriculum, families would feel less more confident in play based curriculum and school just might become a place where children are present, creative and thought of as capable contributors to their learning.
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Rachael,
ReplyDeletePlay is such an essential component of early child development. Children learn so many things through playing and interacting with others. Play helps them build social skills, develop fine and gross motor skills, build their imagination and helps them make sense of the world. I am currently using a curriculum that is play based. I have seen the benefits of integrating a play based curriculum especially in ensuring that my students are ready for kindergarten. This curriculum allows me to move students along throughout the year at their own pace, when they are ready. It has also help my students develop their imagination which has helped them greatly in the long-term with their writing skills. Students I previously taught are now writing more detailed stories and their vocabulary skills have also developed greatly in the upper grades.
I agree with you there needs to be more awareness of the benefits of a play based curriculum and more training does need to be made available. This will help others understand that children are not just playing all day long instead they are engaged in meaningful play, playing with a purpose.
Hello Rachael,
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog post on kindergarten readiness we have to make sure our children are prepared for their next level of school. Being a teacher can sometimes be hard, because it is our job to make sure the children reach their developmental level of learning. good blog Rachael
Thank you ladies! I wish more people understood what we really do in the classroom! :)
ReplyDeleteRachael