Playtime

Dear Ed Inquiry,

What research have you done on the absence of play in kindergarten and the affect it has on our children?  It seems to me that we have placed some rather inappropriate expectations on these young kids.

Thoughts?

Sincerely,

Playtime

Dear Playtime,

Oh, we have thoughts all right. Are you ready?  

Unfortunately, the absence of play doesn’t just happen at school. Many times, well-meaning parents unwittingly restrict a child’s free play because they think that the structured events they have enrolled their child in are necessary for success in today’s competitive world. Are they horrible humans?  Absolutely not. They are just responding to the ridiculous message that society, and yes, education are cramming down their throats.

We must start early if we want our children to be competitive in today’s world.

That implies that those of us who grew up in the 70’s (or earlier) who were expected to play independently without the benefit of our mothers’ constant directives aren’t contributing members of society when in fact, many of us are very well-adjusted and able to work with others quite nicely. I wonder how we learned to do that?

Sorry,  let’s get to your question.  How do the inappropriate expectations beginning as early as (and really earlier) kindergarten affect our kids?  Some do actually come out unscathed.  However, there is a whole group that suffers. Read “The Academic Lifecycle of a Non-Proficient Student” for an anecdotal and very real story of such a child.  

Children are born naturally inquisitive and learn from the world around them and their experiences with it.  If we don’t allow authentic and personal experiential learning, we are stealing golden opportunities from these children. When children are not allowed to be children, we kill the love of learning. 

Recently, the pressure of high-stakes testing has led some principals to cut out recess in order to gain more instructional time with the misguided notion that test scores would improve.  Read this report by the National Association for the Education of Young Children that proves that is just not so.

Finally, some studies have shown that these expectations have caused increases in the diagnoses of ADHD in school-aged children.  Read here to gain some insight into this phenomenon. 

That’s what our research uncovered. Now, the question is, are we brave enough to take a stand and change this assault on our children? If not us, then who?

Sincerely,

Ed Inquiry