The Importance of Play

I LOVE just watching my students play during what many call "Free Choice Time". At Ms. Hollie's Preschool, we call it "Grow Your Brain Time". I love it when a student says, "What do we do now?" and I get to answer with, "Go and grow your brain!"

Yesterday I was able to observe a group of my kiddos build a small town out of blocks and I was amazed by the creativity. They had a garden, which was built using a pattern of colors, a beautiful skateboard park with a child on a skateboard and some very tall buildings and houses.

These students worked together for over 30 minutes problem solving together, developing language skills, math skills, social studies, fine motor, and most importantly, feeling good about what they were doing and having FUN! What if I had stopped these students from playing after 20 minutes? Preschool students need at least a full hour of solid play while at preschool and our students often get more, because we feel that students learn the most through play. I pray that as teachers, we never forget the importance of play and being creative. I fear that we are not allowing our children enough time to be children and to marvel at how creative and intelligent they truly are if we just let them show us. Anyone can match up numbers or write a letter on a worksheet, but can anyone build a skateboard park out of blocks? I know that I could not have built one as cool as the one that my students built yesterday. Let them be little, let them feel loved and confident...you will be amazed at how much these little minds can come up with.