Parenting Solutions
This Mother's Day, Give the Gift of Play
Children learn through play. Parents know this, but nowadays we are anxious that every moment of play is filled with a specific lesson. When parents constantly quiz their child about shapes or colors, it isn’t play anymore, because play has no goal except joy. That’s when the best learning happens. By playing the same ways they have been playing since PLAYSKOOL was founded, children can learn the foundations for science, math, language, and social interaction. Too much academic instruction too early just gets in the way. To help your child really learn, step into their world of play instead of pulling them too early into the world of quizzes and memorization.
Universal play patterns are types of play that exist in every culture and have existed over the centuries. These are the best places to look for learning-through-play. The learning is foundational, that is, it is the basis for all later learning letters, numbers, and other concepts. But remember: “Teaching” these concepts does not have any added benefit for the child--the learning comes from spontaneous and fun play activity (in fact, lecturing about these science concepts is likely to take all the fun and playfulness out if it altogether). Instead, join in the fun and play with your child--you might learn something new too!
• Water play teaches about volume measurement, gravity, the difference between liquids and solids, and reversibility/irreversibility (hands dry quickly, but a soggy tissue will never be the same).
• Ball play teaches turn-taking and give-and take, gravity, mass, and gross motor coordination.
• Vehicle play teaches cause and effect (push the truck and it rolls), momentum, and fine motor coordination.
• Artistic play (drawing, PLAY-DOH, fingerpaint, etc.) teaches colors, shapes, textures, hand-eye coordination, creativity and aesthetic sensibility.
These are only a few play patterns that provide deep learning, and only a few of the lessons of each kind of play. For all of them, the brain-building comes from the play itself, not from quizzes (“What color is the truck?”) or specific instruction. In fact, research shows that when adults show a new toy to a child and leave it for the child to discover, they figure out much more about it than if the adult explains how it works. Instruction breaks the ”flow”state of play. In a state of flow, people lose track of time, they don’t worry about getting wrong answers, and they are open to discoveries and exploration. That’s a state that promotes all types of learning.
Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD, has been on the PLAYSKOOL Play Panel for seven years, making him the “old-timer” of the group. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Playful Parenting, and a new book, The Art of Roughhousing 
. A licensed psychologist in Boston, MA, Larry specializes in parenting, child development, and children’s play. Learn more about his work at playfulparenting.com and theartofroughhousing.com
