“Play is the Work of the Child”
Understanding the Depth of Play in Early Childhood
I think I jumped ahead with Risky Play but it was summer and felt right and I wanted to discuss it. But I’m going to back up and refocus a bit on play in general.
“Play is the work of the child”
A famous quote by Dr. Maria Montessori and one of my favorites… But what does it mean?
Let’s dive deeper into that quote.
What qualifies as PLAY? What qualifies as WORK?
Play or work??
Play or Work??
We know what play is… right? Think again…
There are different forms of play. We will discuss types of play in the coming weeks but looking at a general overview of play here.
Google defines work as “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result” and gives this example: "he was tired after a day's work"
Back to the quote by Maria Montessori - let’s see what we think again about that quote as it compares to the definition of work.
How IS play the work of the child?
Let’s watch this short video of some children outside… Are they playing or working?
First - because it's easier to see… Let's look at the physical effort in the definition of play. Is there physical effort involved in playing??? I think that is an easy answer…
YES!
What kinds of physical efforts did you notice? Look for these efforts in your child when they play: running, jumping, climbing, throwing, spinning, lifting, exploring…
Next - thinking back to that same video…. Did you see activities that involve mental effort? This one might not be the easy answer from before. What determines mental effort in young children? Here is a list of some mental efforts you may see in children:
Risky Taking - risky play and trying new things
Emotional regulation - responding appropriately to rules of play or social conflicts
Setting goals: similar to risky play and trying new things
Behavior: establishing and following rules of play (could be socially imposed or adult imposed)
Independence: opportunities to explore, develop new skills without adult instruction
Responsibility: being responsible for the consequences of their actions and their environment
Did you notice any of these things going on?
I DID!
Now let’s revisit the quote “Play is the work of the child” Do you have different thoughts on that quote than you did when you first read it or heard it? Do you view what your child does as work or play? Could it be both at the same time? Could it be that what our children are doing every day as a natural part of growing up is both work and play? Do you value this play in a child as much as you value their classwork in school?
Thoughts???
I would LOVE to hear your thoughts or revelations after reading this. Maybe answer one of the questions… or comment on a part of this post… Are you interested in more about this topic and taking a deeper dive… let me know that too! Email me and let's start a discussion….
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