Using the topic, thesis statement, and supporting points from your DB 1 posting, - Essay Example

The field of early childhood education has become increasingly important as the majority o f households have two working parents. Early childhood started simply as day care and it was discovered that children who attended had increased academic achievement. When young students can enter the school system as a kindergartner truly ready to learn the required academic skills, they have an advantage over their peers. More and more expectations are being placed on young students. What used to be taught in first grade is now taught in kindergarten and kindergarten expectations are now taught in preschool, causing preschool to become even more important.

With this being said, many persons think that children need to stop playing at school so that they can get to the work of learning academics. Although it may appear that play is not important in terms of the academic achievement of early childhood students, in fact, play is vital to their future educational success Through play, young children learn social skills such as taking turns and sharing. They learn communication skills such as listening to others without interrupting and asking for help when necessary.

They learn how to make and keep friends and how to compromise. During play, children also learn to lead and to follow. Some children naturally lead, while others naturally follow. Play gives them the opportunity to try out different roles and learn to lead and follow. Children also learn about rules as they play. They determine when rules are necessary and what those rules need to be. They learn when the rules are working for what they need and when the rules need to be revised. They learn to make rules and to follow rules.

They may also learn the consequences for not following rules. Academics are also learned through play. As young children engage in play, they reinforce learned skills and are exposed to new skills. While playing store, they make lists, write numbers, add numbers, try out calculators, read store advertisements and get exposure to percents. They also sort and count money. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that young learners have the necessary and appropriate props and supplies to fully carry out a play scenario.

Young students also have the opportunity to act as both teacher and learner during play. Academic skills are reinforced when students have the chance to teach the skills to others. Students also learn from one another. In conclusion, play gives students authentic opportunities to learn and practice. Play is authentic and developmentally appropriate for children. Teachers act as facilitators of play. They can engage in the play when necessary to ask questions and evaluate or to guide the play to ensure academic content standards are being addressed.

Play provides the opportunity for children to learn, practice and have fun. The play situations in which children engage are real to them, thus providing authentic learning opportunities. It is best to have children learn in developmentally appropriate and authentic situations when learning academic skills. Thus, children need to play at school.