Play or direct instruction?

Learning theorists
from Froebel (1887/1896) and Pestalozzi (1894/1915) through Vygotsy (1978) and Piaget (1970) all describe the early years as a special period where hands-on experiences in the form of play best advance children’s learning and development. Such hands-on experiences not only consolidate learning, but “play” to children’s natural instincts.

Play allows children to demonstrate their natural curiosities and problem-generating and problem-solving abilities; further, it fosters one of the fundamental tasks of the early years, notably children’s social and emotional development.

Assaulted through the years by countervailing trends that advocate for more structure, more recent scholars including David Elkind (2007), Edgar Klugman (Klugman & Smilansky, 1990), and Dorothy and Jerome Singer (Singer & Singer, 1990; Singer, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2006) have been stalwarts in their strong research-driven stance for play as the cornerstone of solid early childhood pedagogy.

The Benefits of Play
Play has long been recognized as an important element of children’s development and learning. Many of the skills and characteristics deemed important for children are advanced through play.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s most recent position statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009) described the many benefits of play for children. Play is an “important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for promoting language, cognition, and Play and infant–toddler early learning guidelines must be regarded as partners in the press for quality early childhood efforts. social competence” (p. 14). The authors also pointed out that research demonstrates the “links between play and foundational capacities such as memory, self regulation, oral language abilities, social skills, and success in school” (p. 14).

Play is, in essence, the way that children develop many important skills and areas of knowledge, the same skills and knowledge often addressed in early learning guidelines.

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