Kids are like Seashells
February 20, 2025
Play is more than we think or know.
There are so many uses of the word, play. This is unfortunate as we each bring such different knowledge, thinking, and beliefs about the word play, that too much is lost in translation.
For many adults, play for children is seen as nothing more than mucking around whether aimlessly or with purpose but it isn’t very important. Academics is seen as learning and play is frivolous. Even sports, music, or any of the arts are not taken seriously unless the child is undertaking formal training, coaching, or lessons.
If we place an educational lens over play, we look for the learning in anything and everything the children are doing. We observe their language development, their ability to enter and exit a play situation, their social skills which include their ability to negotiate rules with others. In play they can develop their persistence, resilience – which includes ways to acknowledge and manage disappointment, difficulty, along with the excitement of success. Play also builds their confidence to both lead or follow, and important organisational skills.
There are moments of science, engineering, & maths happening when in the sandpit, water play, block building, and more. There is biology learning when observing nature in its many forms. So much learning appears as play. The Arts are developing observation skills, the ability to express themselves and explain their knowledge in multiple ways. Everything builds their understanding and
knowledge of the world. It is not only about their use of language including learning the alphabetic code and what the numerals look like. Learning is far more multi-faceted than that.
When you think back to your favourite memories of childhood, it will rarely involve the completion of a sit-down task such as a worksheet, so whether the children are onsite playing, or offsite on an adventure, we say, “Let the children play.” – Clare Williamson
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