Time to Play: Early Childhood Education - Literature review Example

Play & Creativity: Partners in Propelling a Child’s Flight to Higher Heights Young children are considered playful and creative. It is essential that they are provided with a conducive learning environment that allows them to be so. Educators are challenged in designing an environment where creativity thrives and at the same time, their learning goals for the children are met. Often, they believe that children’s play may be important to children but frivolous for learning the “real skills”. This paper explores the value of play and creativity and how these affect the development of children in the early years. It aims to help educators understand that play is an effective tool for learning and developing creativity, which is one essential trait and skill children need to have and hone. Creativity has been found to be something that sets an individual apart from the rest. With the current globalization trends, creativity is fast becoming in demand and people who manifest creative skills and traits usually advance further than their non-creative peers. Creativity may be defined in a myriad of ways. Duffy (1998) described the abilities exhibited by creative people as “seeing things in fresh ways; learning from past experience and relating this to new situations; thinking along unorthodox lines and breaking barriers; using non-traditional approaches to solving problems; going further than the information given; and creating something unique and original. “ (May, 2007, pp. 101-102). For young children, play and creativity are inextricably related. When children are deep into their play, all things are possible. There is a thin line between reality and fantasy, and in children’s minds, they are fused. This idea is consistent with Malaguzzi’s suggestion that ‘reason and dream’ are things that can, and should belong together (May, 2007). People have conceptualized of theories of play, among them, Piaget, who categorized levels of play as functional, symbolic and games with rules (May, 2007). Consistent with his theories in cognitive development, the levels of play follow the pattern from concrete thinking to abstract thinking (Piaget & Inhelder, 1969). Functional or practice play involves the use of materials or toys. Then they move on to symbolic play wherein the materials may be imagined to be something else other than what it stands for or how it is normally used. Games with rules is play according to rules they may have made up themselves, or generally agreed on when playing the game (Brewer, 2001). Bruce (1991) refined Piaget’s play levels as exploratory, representational and free-flow play. She describes free-flow play as the child being immersed in his ideas, thoughts, feelings and relationships during the play session, and it is in this state of play that he comes up with creativity. Four and five year old children display aptitude for games with simple rules as in “Simon Says”, and left on their own, they enjoy coming up with “silly” things that “Simon says” for their peers to imitate. However, most of the time, children at this age enjoy exploratory and representational play as they use materials and imagine in their minds the things they can do with the objects. This manifests as one child takes a toy airplane, imagine that it is flying, with the corresponding action of lifting it in the air and moving it back and fro. When children shift gears to become fully engaged or “brain-engaged” in their high-level play, they may become more concentrated, energetic, creative and this is manifested in their focused facial expression and posture. They also become more persistent in their play as they try to meet their goal. They want to be precise in their moves and their reaction time becomes quicker as they are watchful of any outcome of their moves. Language abounds especially if they have playmates who share their goals in the game. Finally, they show satisfaction as they appreciate the fruits of their play (Laevers, 1994). To illustrate, all the aspects mentioned are displayed when children play with wooden blocks. For example, two children plan to do a skyscraper with the wooden blocks. They shift from being restless children to being concentrated and focused on their creation. A few pieces may fall now and then but the children persist in putting them back up patiently. As they build, they imagine other possibilities they can add and their ideas flow freely, as Bruce would explain (1991). They share their ideas to each other and their language may be rich with descriptions of what they are creating. Hours may have passed but they are unaware as they are concentrated on their task. When they are fully satisfied with their work, they stand back and appreciate their beautiful skyscraper. Csikszentmihalyi (1997) claims that the experience of children engaged in creative learning as being deeply involved in their task is called “Flow”. This is a common experience of creative people. Flow is an optimal experience, “an almost effortless yet highly focused state of consciousness” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997, p.9). It is a way of being lost in the creative process. Once an individual gets out of this flow and is satisfied with the experience, he indulges in feeling happy. Csikszentmihalyi says the more flow one experiences in life, the more likely he is to feel happy overall, as his creative potentials are optimized. Children are naturally creative, as they do not have as much inhibitions in their creative expression. Research suggests that the child reaches a peak of creative functioning during the early childhood years, usually around four to four and a half years of age. (Torrance, 1965). It is followed by a sharp drop when the child begins elementary school, perhaps due to school demands of conformity, accountability and academics. Smith and Carlsson (1985) found out that creativity reemerges as cognitive skills develop to meet those school demands and peaks at age ten or eleven, and then begins to decline again at the onset of puberty. The kind of support the environment gives a person also reflects in the level of creativity he may develop. Torrance (1965) has found that a non-punitive classroom environment for children that focuses on the development and evaluation of understandings while nurturing independent thought and exploration tends to enhance idea generation. Pelz (1956) found that environments that encourage interaction, autonomy and production of knowledge led to creative achievement. On the other hand, environments characterized by distrust, lack of communication, limited autonomy and ambiguous goals inhibited scientific innovation. (Mumford & Gustafson, 1988). Hence, for creativity to thrive, people should be encouraged to come up and express their ideas without fear of being ridiculed. Having such support likewise boosts self-esteem. One reason for young children in the early years are so creative is that they are allowed to play. Most teachers and parents are more lenient with very young children discovering their world through play because they may accept it as the natural way they learn, and as they grow older, they need to learn more in a “work-like” manner since they are acquiring more formal learning skills. Play is a child’s world. It is an avenue where one can be free to be oneself without anyone imposing rules or restrictions to conform to society’s standards. Play offers many benefits that foster children’s learning. It engages the mind to actively imagine various scenarios for fun or for problem-solving. Babies and toddlers play in order to get to know their world – how things work, how people react, etc. They get to explore and discover things that otherwise they will not learn about if they do not actively engage in play. Preschoolers and primary school children learn better in play-like settings because they retain concepts better when learned in the spirit of fun. They enjoy competitive games in testing their stock knowledge and even simulate game shows they watch on television in reviewing certain academic concepts. Such cognitive benefits extend to their real lives as they make decisions, compare and contrast things, use their imaginations and thinking critically and creatively (Brewer, 2001). Play also engages the body. Certain games involve gross and fine motor coordination. Running around, jumping, tumbling and other physical activities help them be physically fit as well as release tension. Much practice in physical play develops their muscles, agility, flexibility and endurance (Brewer, 2001). Four and five year old children are physically active that they may create their own movements to express their ideas. They may walk like a dinosaur, roar like a gorilla while beating their chests, or purr like a cat while curling up in a corner. These creative movements may be inspired by things they observe and they express in with their bodies. Socially, play fosters the development of friendships, coaxing children out of their shells. As they play with other children or adults, they get to know about how other people behave, think and feel. They also get to learn socially acceptable behavior like not hurting others and playing fair. Most importantly, they get to know themselves better- how they react to certain situations in the play setting (Brewer, 2001). Usually, this happens during role-playing activities like pretending to be family members. Play may also be an outlet for emotional release. Young children use role play or puppet play to process experiences they do not fully understand. Doing it over and over helps them realize what was wrong or right in confusing situations. Resolving issues in play may also be therapeutic for some children (Brewer, 2001). Puppets may be good materials to use for this purpose, as when they put on puppets, it is as if they put on another persona and whatever the puppet says comes from that entity and not from them. This way, shy children may be able to express their inner thoughts and feelings. Knowing the benefits of play and creativity in the early development of children, the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education (NACCCE), has become an advocate organization that believes children’s creativity need to be nurtured and developed especially from the early years. NACCCE’s (1999) teaching for creativity principles include encouraging children to be aware and believe in their own creativity. Identifying these children’s specific creative abilities and developing in them the usual capacities and sensitivities of creativity such as curiosity, being more knowledgeable about the creative processes further develops creativity. Of course, providing the children several opportunities to be creative is achieved using a hands-on learning approach. Woods (1990) proposed a framework that better explains the relationship between teaching creatively and teaching for creativity with these features of creative teaching: relevance, ownership, control and innovation. This means when children are learning about something relevant and interesting to them, they become more engaged in the learning process. When the learning environment encourages them to keep asking questions, raise problems and issues complemented by opportunities to debate and discuss their thinking, it draws these learners into the heart of both the teaching and learning process as a co-participant (Reggio Emilia, 1996). This leads to ownership of the knowledge gained (Pollard & Filer, 1996). Once they have ownership of the knowledge, it gives them a sense of control as to which learning strategies to apply to learning contexts. Having control gives them opportunities to be more innovative. Jeffrey & Craft (2004) add that engagement is strong when the learner is included in decisions about what knowledge is to be investigated, how to investigate it and how to evaluate the learning process. The collaborative partnership between teacher and learner is also known as the ‘learner inclusive’ approach (Jeffrey & Craft, 2003). The learner’s experience and imagination play a great role in the process of investigating knowledge, using tools such as “possibility knowledge” (Woods & Jeffrey, 1996) and possibility thinking (Craft, 2002). All these are present in children’s play. It is important for educators and practitioners that the early childhood curriculum reflect both aspects of “work” and “play”, as children do not really see the distinction between the two as long as they are deeply engaged in the learning process. May (2007) suggests that by planning activities that stimulate children’s curiosity but does not cause them anxiety, educators can coax the timid child to take steps forward onto more daring inquiry. Children who are initially fearful can be encouraged that if they fail, it is but a pause on their way to success and being able to rise again is part of the valuable lesson they learn as people who “can do”. Loris Malaguzzi (1998) believes that “Creativity should not be considered a separate mental faculty but a characteristic of our way of thinking, knowing and making choices” (Malaguzzi, 1998, p.75). Children naturally express such creativity in their natural communication. Their communications may be expressed in various forms or “languages”– in words, drawing, artwork, three-dimensional constructions, music and movement. Young children do not express their ideas in just one form but move naturally and easily between “languages”. They may vacillate from drawing, speaking, singing and moving (Fawcett & Hay, 2004). In a study observing the effects of creative teaching and learning (Fawcett & Hay, 2004), the children were deeply involved in the learning and creative process. This was because the children delighted in other people respecting their ideas which they pursue, people giving them freedom and space to explore. They became more independent, investigative and imaginative. They solved problems together instead of running to an adult for help. They resolved issues within themselves and due to their involvement in the project, confidence and self-esteem grew (Fawcett & Hay, 2004). Malaguzzi (1998) most appropriately expressed “Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known. Creativity seems to express itself though cognitive, affective and imaginative processes” (p. 76) Definitely, creativity thrives in young children’s play if adults do not intervene as much as they think they need to. Children’s play transports them to a world of endless possibilities… a world where dreams and reason coexist. It is in that world where children create their ideas that they test out when they come back to their own realities and explore if those ideas will work out or not. Only when they find out will they cease to give up the idea…and take another up in their journey to higher heights where they find enlightment. References Brewer, J.A. (2001) Introduction to Early Childhood Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Bruce, T. (1991) Time to Play in Early Childhood Education. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Craft, A. (2002). Creativity and early years education. London, Continuum. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997) Happiness & creativity going with the flow. The Futurist, Sept.-October, 1997 Duffy, B. (1998) Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years. Buckingham: Open University Press. Fawcett, M. and Hay, P., (2004) 5x5x5=Creativity in the early years. Journal of Art & Design Education, Vol. 23, No. 3 Jeffrey, B. & Craft, A (2003) The universalization of creativity, in; A. Craft, B. Jeffrey & M. Leibling (Eds) Creativity in Education. Continuum, London. Jeffrey, B. & Craft, A. (2004) Teaching creatively and teaching for creativity: distinctions and relationships. Educational Studies, Vol. 30, No. 1 Laevers, F. (1994) (ed.) Leuvcn Involvement Scale for Young Children EXE Project. Leuven, Belgium. Malaguzzi, L. (1998) in Edwards, C., Gandini, L. & Forman, G. [Eds] The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach –Advanced Reflections. Greenwich, Connecticut: Ablex Publishing Company Mumford, M.D. & Gustafson, S.B. (1988) Creativity Syndrome : Integration, Application, and Innovation. Psychological Bulletin. Vol.103 (1) pp. 27- 43. NACCCE (1999) All our futures: creativity, culture and education. London, DfEE. Pamela May, (2007) "Play and creativity", Nurse, Angela D., The new early years professional : dilemmas and debates, 95-110, David Fulton Pelz, D. C. (1956). Some social factors related to performance in a research organization. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1, 310–325. Piaget, J. & Inhelder, B. (1969) The Psychology of the Child. 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