"Creative play that children can control is central to their
physical, emotional, and cognitive growth. It contributes greatly to their
language development, social skills, and problem-solving capacities, and lays
an essential foundation for later academic learning. Yet many children do not
have the opportunity to develop their capacity for socio-dramatic play.
Preschool is the place to intervene and restore childhood play.
We call for teacher education that
emphasizes the full development of the child including the importance of play,
nurtures children’s innate love of learning, and supports teachers’ own
capacities for creativity, autonomy, and integrity" (The Alliance for Childhood). Bev. Clark
"The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based upon the following set of principles:
- Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
- Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing;
- Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore and
- Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.
I enjoyed reading the quote you posted about the importance of allowing children the control over creative play. You really inspired me to see how vital it is among children. I always knew that creative play was important, but reading through this quote I was able to see the powerfulness it contains. I want to involve this component in my teaching day, as both an independent and structure activity. Thanks so much for sharing!
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