Research shows that free play is important in the academic environment as it promotes the academic learning of children (Bodrova & Leong, 2005). More specifically, it helps in adjusting the setting of the school and enhancing the readiness of children to learn. One of the major roles of free play in early learning is that it increases the capacity of children to understand and process information taught in the classroom. Allowing children to play with materials or objects after a lesson reinforces classroom teaching as it can assist them to use the information they have learned in class and apply it in real situations. Teachers, for example, can allow children to build blocks of different heights to reinforce their understanding in mathematics, cognitive problem solving as well as scientific reasoning (Wood, Howard & Broadhead, 2010).
Another role of free play in early learning is that it promotes the development of skills that are relevant in enhancing academic performance. Such skills include perspective taking, negotiating, cooperating, turn taking as well as conversational skills. Self-directed and open-ended play also plays an important role in early learning as it allows the children to combine their experiences and ideas and share them with their peers in school. As they play, they enjoy every activity they perform and so, they become eager to experience more. Given that children make new friend networks as they continue to play together, they are more likely to feel settled in class because they are interacting with people whom they already know. As such, they are in a better position to work together and pay attention to their instructors.
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Role of Early Childhood Educators in Free Play
Early childhood educators can participate in free play by developing supportive classroom designs that cater to the play needs of the children (Majorano et al., 2015). Efficient free play requires adequate space that gives the children room to get creative through dramatic and block area activities. Teachers can also participate in free play by providing the necessary materials such as toys, play food and animals. Offering a variety of the items gives the children a chance to choose based on their needs and preference and also helps the tutors to assess and address the requirements of each child (Galbraith et al., 2014).
Educators can also actively participate in free play by picking roles within the setup. Such facilitation with larger blocks of time entices the uninterested children to join the others. After the play, teachers may seek the help of the children in arranging back the materials to improve their learning on organization and responsibility. Besides, they could use playtime to ask open-ended questions which builds on the children's communication skills. Teachers need to identify the skills and experiences that the children need to develop from play to make the period more exciting and efficient (Waite & Cohen, 2013). Pairing the children with less participation and those willing to play active roles also helps to build the child's confidence without making them feel threatened. Teachers can also enroll in free play by developing the curriculum upon familiar and relatable experiences that make the classroom activities more involving and exciting to children.
Educators play a crucial role in promoting free play by educating other stakeholders on the need for the same. During their interaction with parents in meetings and other social gatherings, the teachers use such opportunities to expound on the subject. These interactions help to balance the parents’ perception of academic objectives between play and actual learning. Besides, it makes the parents understand the vital role of free play in the cognitive and social development of the children thus enhancing their willingness to create time and space for the same at home (Majorano et al., 2015).
Playful educators are also more likely to create better and stable relationships with their students. Children tend to feel more comfortable relating to the tutors that promote their playtime needs. Besides, the free play activities create a desirable environment for social interactions through which the tutors can identify health or family that the child could be facing out of school. Playful teachers also recognize the role of free play in children and most cases take up the personal position to provide for the required materials. They also tend to partner with local communities and administrators to lobby for donations of the items to early learning programs (Galbraith et al., 2014).
Challenges and Highlights to Free Play
It is clear that free play is an important aspect in early childhood education because its helps the cognitive, social, physical and language development of children. For this reason, experts and educators in the field of early childhood argues that it is important for schools to integrate free play in the early childhood education curriculum. The two main types of play that help in building the curriculum include play-generated curriculum and curriculum generated play. While curriculum-generated play helps to improve the academic performance of children, play-generated curriculum acts as a guide for developing various curriculum activities as it involves the engagement of children in play experiences that reflect on their needs and interests. Whichever type of play to use, it is vital to understand that integrating free play into the early childhood education curriculum does not go without challenges for the educators.
Perhaps one of the biggest challenge that educators face in creating and sustaining a focus on free play in early learning is the lack of a pedagogical understanding of the concepts of play and its role in early child hood education. One of the underlying factors that has contributed to the lack of familiarity with and understanding of pedagogy of play is inadequate training, especially for teachers based in schools located in marginalized areas or disadvantaged environments. Teachers may be aware of the importance of play in early learning but due to insufficient training, they lack the skills and knowledge necessary for employing free play in the learning process.
Another problem that educators face in creating and integrating free play into the curriculum is family engagement issues. For successful integration of free play in to the curriculum, teachers ought to engage the parents by advising them to always encourage their children to play even when they are away from school. Some parents, however, do not support free play in school as they fear that their children may be injured when playing or may engage in other inappropriate behaviors. The situation becomes challenging when the trust between parents and the educators erodes. Most early childhood educators continue to face struggles with engaging families in play-based programs, particularly families or parents who help their children to read and complete homework at home. Another challenge that educators face in creating and sustaining a focus on free play in early learning relates to policy making as well as program implementation. There are good policies that focus on enhancing the early childhood education curriculum but the implementation is very poor.
One highlight for early childhood educators when free play is valued as n essential component of early learning curriculum is that they should ensure that the learning environment has a balance of directed learning and child-initiated free play. In addition, they should ensure that there is enough time and space for children to engage in free play by themselves. Children, on the other hand, should have access to play-environments that encourage and promote rich and healthy play experiences.
Conclusion
Taking into account the various benefits associated with free play, it is no doubt that it is an important component in early learning. From the paper, it is clear that free play is important not only in promoting cognitive, physical, social and language development but also in enhancing the academic performance of children. As such, it is important for early childhood educators to obtain the best insights and pedagogical understanding of the contribution of free play in the learning and developing of children.
References
Bodrova, E. & Leong, D. J. (2005). Uniquely preschool: What research tells us about the ways young children learn. Educational Leadership, 63 (1), 44-47.
Galbraith, J., Ozgun, O., & Yasar, M. (2014). Contemporary Perspectives and Research on Early Childhood Education. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Hewes, J., Early Childhood Learning Knowledge Centre., & Canadian Council on Learning. (2006). Let the children play: Nature's answer to early learning . Montreal, Que: Early Childhood Learning Knowledge Centre.
Lester, S. & Russell, S. (2008). Play for a change. Play policy and practice: A review of contemporary perspectives. Play England
Majorano, M., Corsano, P., & Triffoni, G. (2015). Educators' Intervention, Communication and Peers' Conflict in Nurseries. Child Care In Practice, 21 (2), 98-113.
Shipley, D. (2008). Empowering children. Play based curriculum for lifelong learning . (Fourth edn). USA: Nelson Education.
Waite-Stupiansky, S., & Cohen, L. E. (2013). Learning Across the Early Childhood Curriculum . Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Wood, E., Howard, J., & Broadhead, P. (2010). Play and Learning in the Early Years: From Research to Practice. SAGE.
