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| How to Choose? |
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| ©2009-2011 Play and Learn • McKinney, Texas • 972-548-2093 |
How to Choose
Far too many schools have transformed the process of learning and discovery, which comes naturally to children at birth, into a stressful and often
unpleasant experience. We tend to think about schools from a business perspective. We talk incessantly about high standards, competition, and
holding children accountable. Somewhere along the way we forgot that schools are meant to nurture children’s natural development, not manufacture
a product.
At Play and Learn, we work to empower, liberate, and encourage young people to become self-confident people who think for themselves, creatively
solve problems, and who possess the emotional and spiritual balance, interpersonal skills, compassion and moral courage that will prepare them to
lead lives filled with purpose, meaning, and joy.
Play Equal Learning
With pre-K and the early grades expected to be a key element of President Barack Obama's education agenda, early-childhood experts are urging
policymakers to arrest what they see as the loss of free, unstructured playtime for children both in and out of school.
"Play is interfered with at every turn," Vivian Gussin Paley, an author and expert on young children's play told a group of 900 gathered last week for a
conference at the 92nd Street Y, a cultural and community center known for its sought-after nursery school program. “What is happening to the
preschoolers and the kindergartners when they are barely given any time to set the table in the doll corner, which is not even there in some places?”
But play is the way in which children will develop skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and confidence, said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, an author and
psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia.
"Play equals learning," she said during one of the sessions at the conference. "For too long, we have divorced the two."
At Play and Learn, we utilize a play based learning environment with plenty of materials for the children to explore and learn from in small group, whole
group, and individual settings. We use everyday events to learn from such as seeing a bug while outside could lead to a discussion on insects
(number of legs, habitat, even acting like the bug, and more).
10 Signs of a Great Preschool
If your child is between the ages of 3 and 6 and attends a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten program, the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) suggests you look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a good classroom.
Preschool Leads to Later Success
A study released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) shows that the type of preschool a child attends at
4 years old, will affect how he or she learns at 7. The study, the largest of its type to date, followed 5,000 preschoolers in 1,800 schools across the
world.
So what type of preschool is best? Larry Schweinhart, president of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, and a researcher on the study
says, “Early childhood educators contribute to children’s development when they emphasize child-initiated activities, limit the use of whole-group
instruction, and provide abundant materials in the classroom.”
In other words, allowing preschoolers to choose freely, for as much of the day as possible, rather than corralling them into too much circle time, is the
best way to create successful first graders. Over the past few years, U.S. preschools have been moving in the exact opposite direction – towards
academic programs that incorporate pre-reading and math curriculum.
Whether or not this study reverses that trend, the researchers are clear on a number of points:
Language performance at age 7 improves when:
Thinking skills at age 7 improve when:
In a nutshell, children become better thinkers when they’re active participants in their own learning. The tricycle may not seem like an advanced
learning tool, but it develops gross motor skills. Negotiating over toys helps kids practice communication. And deciding who will play which part in the
pretend post office allows them to practice planning and negotiation. What they learn in the sandbox will affect them long after they’ve outgrown their
pre-K clothing. And getting them ready for grade school may be more fun than we thought.
How Play and Learn Can Help
The first years of a child's life are a crucial development period, and children who are nurtured and stimulated during these years are much more
prepared for formal reading and math and are more likely to have the social skills they will need when it's time for kindergarten. Parents are a child's
first teachers, but early childhood education programs are also important, especially with the growing number of families with one parent, and families
where both parents work full-time.
At Play and Learn, we initially take your child into our home and hearts. They become like "family" thereby creating an environment of mutual trust that
children can flourish in. As they enter our classroom, they will encounter learning centers that are set up with tons of great items that they can "play and
learn" with (play dress up, tell stories with our puppets, build imaginary worlds with blocks).
Play is the main way children learn and develop ideas about the world. It helps them build the skills necessary for critical thinking and leadership. It's
how they learn to solve problems and to feel good about their ability to learn.
Children learn the most from play with our teachers who are well-trained in understanding how play contributes to learning.
Most child development experts agree that play is an essential part of a high-quality early learning program. Play is not a break from learning - it's the
way young children learn.
At Play and Learn, children are treated as responsible individuals, cleaning up their own spills, going to the bathroom without assistance, and
assisting with general clean up such as cleaning the table.
Our day is divided into blocks of time, some small group, some whole group, and some individual activities through meaningful interaction with real
materials using the emergent approach (where an event results in learning such as a child who has a new baby brother, or seeing a bug while
outside). We create an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy in our classroom. We are there to help and encourage the children in all their efforts,
praising them, and allowing them to develop self-confidence and inner discipline.
We have blended the best from the experts into a program that gives your child the best without the extremes that exist in some of the other types of
preschool programs. That is just one of the ways that we give your child the best!
Far too many schools have transformed the process of learning and discovery, which comes naturally to children at birth, into a stressful and often
unpleasant experience. We tend to think about schools from a business perspective. We talk incessantly about high standards, competition, and
holding children accountable. Somewhere along the way we forgot that schools are meant to nurture children’s natural development, not manufacture
a product.
At Play and Learn, we work to empower, liberate, and encourage young people to become self-confident people who think for themselves, creatively
solve problems, and who possess the emotional and spiritual balance, interpersonal skills, compassion and moral courage that will prepare them to
lead lives filled with purpose, meaning, and joy.
Play Equal Learning
With pre-K and the early grades expected to be a key element of President Barack Obama's education agenda, early-childhood experts are urging
policymakers to arrest what they see as the loss of free, unstructured playtime for children both in and out of school.
"Play is interfered with at every turn," Vivian Gussin Paley, an author and expert on young children's play told a group of 900 gathered last week for a
conference at the 92nd Street Y, a cultural and community center known for its sought-after nursery school program. “What is happening to the
preschoolers and the kindergartners when they are barely given any time to set the table in the doll corner, which is not even there in some places?”
But play is the way in which children will develop skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and confidence, said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, an author and
psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia.
"Play equals learning," she said during one of the sessions at the conference. "For too long, we have divorced the two."
At Play and Learn, we utilize a play based learning environment with plenty of materials for the children to explore and learn from in small group, whole
group, and individual settings. We use everyday events to learn from such as seeing a bug while outside could lead to a discussion on insects
(number of legs, habitat, even acting like the bug, and more).
10 Signs of a Great Preschool
If your child is between the ages of 3 and 6 and attends a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten program, the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) suggests you look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a good classroom.
- Children spend most of their playing and working with materials or other children. They do not wander aimlessly, and they are not expected to
sit quietly for long periods of time. - Children have access to various activities throughout the day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction materials, props for
pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as matching games, pegboards, and puzzles. Children should
not all be doing the same thing at the same time. - Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend all their time with
the whole group. - The classroom is decorated with children's original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and stories dictated by children to teachers.
- Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and animals and meaningful
activities like cooking, taking attendance, or serving snack provide the basis for learning activities. - Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Worksheets are used little if at all.
- Children have an opportunity to play outside every day. Outdoor play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.
- Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.
- Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children's different
background and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way. - Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their child to the program. Children are happy to attend;
they do not cry regularly or complain of feeling sick.
Preschool Leads to Later Success
A study released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) shows that the type of preschool a child attends at
4 years old, will affect how he or she learns at 7. The study, the largest of its type to date, followed 5,000 preschoolers in 1,800 schools across the
world.
So what type of preschool is best? Larry Schweinhart, president of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, and a researcher on the study
says, “Early childhood educators contribute to children’s development when they emphasize child-initiated activities, limit the use of whole-group
instruction, and provide abundant materials in the classroom.”
In other words, allowing preschoolers to choose freely, for as much of the day as possible, rather than corralling them into too much circle time, is the
best way to create successful first graders. Over the past few years, U.S. preschools have been moving in the exact opposite direction – towards
academic programs that incorporate pre-reading and math curriculum.
Whether or not this study reverses that trend, the researchers are clear on a number of points:
Language performance at age 7 improves when:
- Most of the activities available to preschoolers are free choice, rather than academic – dramatic play, physical activities that allow kids to
practice their gross and fine motor skills, crafts, music. - Their teachers have a higher level of education.
Thinking skills at age 7 improve when:
- Preschoolers spend less time in whole group activities proposed by the teacher, like songs, games, group story-time, and pre-academic
activities. - The number and variety of equipment and materials for preschoolers to choose from increases.
In a nutshell, children become better thinkers when they’re active participants in their own learning. The tricycle may not seem like an advanced
learning tool, but it develops gross motor skills. Negotiating over toys helps kids practice communication. And deciding who will play which part in the
pretend post office allows them to practice planning and negotiation. What they learn in the sandbox will affect them long after they’ve outgrown their
pre-K clothing. And getting them ready for grade school may be more fun than we thought.
How Play and Learn Can Help
The first years of a child's life are a crucial development period, and children who are nurtured and stimulated during these years are much more
prepared for formal reading and math and are more likely to have the social skills they will need when it's time for kindergarten. Parents are a child's
first teachers, but early childhood education programs are also important, especially with the growing number of families with one parent, and families
where both parents work full-time.
At Play and Learn, we initially take your child into our home and hearts. They become like "family" thereby creating an environment of mutual trust that
children can flourish in. As they enter our classroom, they will encounter learning centers that are set up with tons of great items that they can "play and
learn" with (play dress up, tell stories with our puppets, build imaginary worlds with blocks).
Play is the main way children learn and develop ideas about the world. It helps them build the skills necessary for critical thinking and leadership. It's
how they learn to solve problems and to feel good about their ability to learn.
Children learn the most from play with our teachers who are well-trained in understanding how play contributes to learning.
Most child development experts agree that play is an essential part of a high-quality early learning program. Play is not a break from learning - it's the
way young children learn.
At Play and Learn, children are treated as responsible individuals, cleaning up their own spills, going to the bathroom without assistance, and
assisting with general clean up such as cleaning the table.
Our day is divided into blocks of time, some small group, some whole group, and some individual activities through meaningful interaction with real
materials using the emergent approach (where an event results in learning such as a child who has a new baby brother, or seeing a bug while
outside). We create an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy in our classroom. We are there to help and encourage the children in all their efforts,
praising them, and allowing them to develop self-confidence and inner discipline.
We have blended the best from the experts into a program that gives your child the best without the extremes that exist in some of the other types of
preschool programs. That is just one of the ways that we give your child the best!
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