Stop Playing Around?
The Cognitive, Social and Emotional Stakes….
Question:
What was the first thing
President Obama did
when he entered the
White House?
Answer….
He put up a swing set for his children!
Conclusion:
Even President Obama feels
play
is essential to life!
What is Play?
Through play, children learn to explore the world
around them, develop and practice skills they will use
throughout their lives.
(www.valeofglamorgan.gov)
Play is defined as behavior that is freely
chosen, personally directed and
intrinsically motivated
(www.valeofglamorgan.gov)
The Benefits of Play…
• Enhances social, physical and language
development.
• Allows child to have self-learned experiences
Goodwin, 2001
Van Hoorn et al., 2003
Wortham, 2002
More benefits of play….
• Recess gives children the opportunity to
be creative in their own ways.
• Allows children to be more confident
with themselves
According to the research…
BOYS:
• *More Physical Activity
• *More competitive
• *Stay strict to the rules
• *Play in larger groups
Lever, 1978
According to the Research…
Girls:
• *Play in smaller groups
• *Tend to be more social
• *Play games that are communication
based
Lever, 1978
First Grade
We conducted a research study…
We went into a local first grade classroom,
and observed the children during recess….
We gave each child a survey to fill out…
We asked them:
“Who do you like to play with at recess?
and
“What do you like to play during recess?”
Do children play with those of
the same gender?
Our Survey Said..
• 83% of the girls liked
playing with other girls
during recess,
• Only 17% liked playing
with boys better!
• 100% of the boys liked
playing with other boys
during recess!
What do children like to play
during recess?
Our Survey Said..
• 75% of the girls
preferred playing on the
swing set…
• 80% of the boys
preferred playing
kickball….
Problem:
Recess time is being cut due to
the current educational
demands…
No Child Left Behind Act
• 2002, George W. Bush put in effect the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB)
• No child will be left without an education, or denied based
on their race, gender and social class
• Children will have to take a state mandated test each year
to insure they are receiving the proper education
• If standards are not met, extra mediation will be given to
the student until the state standards are met
• Passing score; 3 or 4 Failing score; 1 or 2
(www.ed.gov, 2005)
No Child Left Behind Act
• Puts extra pressure on teachers to
spend more time in preparing for the
ELAs, Regents & SATs
• Teachers feel there is not enough time
in the day to prepare for all the testing
• The only time for teachers to add extra
prep time for the test is to cut into their
recess or take time away from recess
(www.ed.gov,2005)
LESS PLAY!
To summarize…
• More demands…
• More testing…
• Less play….
What is the byproduct of all of
this state testing?
• State testing increases stress within the
students, and also the teachers.
• It takes away the self-learning experiences
from children
• Increases anxiety in children from a build-up
in energy levels
• Does not build communication skills between
children of the same age
Clements, 2007
Riley and Jones, 2007
Is It About The Grades?
• Steve Jobs would prove that wrong.
• He dropped out of Harvard and created Apple, a
billion dollar industry.
• He had the ability to complete school he just had
his own vision through creativity and knowledge.
• He is a great example how you don’t need school
and testing to be successful in life.
Is what we are teaching them
more valuable than recess?
•No, recess is just as important of a learning experience
as academic lessons.
•Piaget said, “Play is the mechanism through which
children learn.”
Piaget, 1962
Just a thought….
What does it take for someone
to create Facebook?
Creativity!!!
.
Benefits:
Social Development:
• *Boys play
competitively
and creates a
social structure
• *Girls play in
small groups
allowing more
conversation to
take place
• *Playing in
teams develops
cooperation
skills
Goodwin, 2001/2002 Lever, 1978 Van Hoorn et al.,2003
Piaget, 1967 Wortham, 2002 Riley and Jones, 2007 Brewer,
2001
Benefits:
Language Development:
• *Best way for children to
learn language is through
interaction and play with
other children
• *Boys build their language
skills through rules of a
competitive game
• *Girls develop their
language skills by playing
verbal skills
• *Language helps children
express themselves and
explain how they want to
play with each other
Goodwin, 2001/2002 Lever, 1978 Van Hoorn et al.,2003
Piaget, 1967 Wortham, 2002 Riley and Jones, 2007 Brewer,
2001
Benefits:
Physical Development:
*Helps children with health and
fitness
*Allows for better brain activity
*Appear to be more alert and
listen better during class
lessons
*Children need at least thirty to
sixty minutes of physical activity
a day
Centers for Disease Control Prevention, 2005
Closing Thought..
What is it about America that made us great?
PLAY…
Is it all this testing
that we have
created?
OR is it the play and
creativity of our human
imagination that make us
the successful people
that we are today?
Picture Citations:
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http://winarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Pool-to-pavement-basketball-hoop-02.jpg
http://www.unorules.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/uno_card.jpg
http://www.air-n-water.com/art/child-thumbsup1.jpg
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/69057/thumbs/s-SWINGS-large.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5w-Tk0O8Ss8/TSUntxeKKI/AAAAAAAAFNA/VZj5GgcpeF8/s1600/sad_face.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp3vka9bQAM/TGoImZnBSI/AAAAAAAAAQs/LqXvXI_4AeQ/s1600/b,w,child,sad,baby,angry,girl,beautiful60bc38b7781d2e44a71132ae3cfaceb4_h%5B2%5D%5B2%5D.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5wTk0O8Ss8/TSUn9cFoPOI/AAAAAAAAFM4/YyyrkzfD_Pg/s1600/rima-sad-face.jpg
http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/files/2011/04/Facebook-Logo.png
http://s3.amazonaws.com/collegeotr/images/blogs/5f244756c951a33bf174742ac482657b.jp
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http://www.baa.co.nz/~cnikinde/file/rushton/children%20playing%20.jpg
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http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Apple-logo.jpg
http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/files/2010/01/children-running.jpg
http://cityguideny.com/uploads/28894/child-holding-american-flag.jpg
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