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Play is important to children's education
According to a recent article in the New York Times, recent research shows that play and down time are as important to a child’s success at school as academic subjects. The article suggests that regular fitness and time in nature can positively influence a child’s behavior, concentration, and grades, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24well.html.
The research was published in the journal Pediatrics and conducted by the Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and children 8 to 9 years of age at Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, New York. The study analyzed the links between having recess and classroom behavior among 11,000 children ages 8 and 9. Those who had more than 15 minutes of recess a day showed better behavior in class than those who had little or no recess. The study said the relationship between better behavior and recess time held true even after researchers controlled for variables such as sex, ethnicity, public or private school and class size.
Some children are not getting a recess break at school. In the Pediatrics study, 30 percent were found to have little or no daily recess. Another report found that 40 percent of schools surveyed had cut back at least one daily recess period, and often teachers often punish children by taking away recess.
According to the article, Harvard researchers reported in The Journal of School Health that the more physical fitness tests children passed, the better they did on academic tests. The study of 1,800 middle school students says that children can who participate in physical activity will also do better academically.
Andrea Faber Taylor, a child environment and behavior researcher at the Landscape and Human Health Laboratory at the University of Illinois, says other research suggests that all children can benefit from spending time in nature during the school day. She cites another study of girls who live in public housing showing that those who had access to green courtyards scored better on concentration tests than those who did not.
According to the article, the brain uses two forms of attention: "directed" attention allows us to concentrate on work, reading and tests; while "involuntary" attention takes over when we're distracted by things going on around us. Directed attention such as long hours sitting in front of a computer or studying for a test can leave people feeling tired. Spending time in natural settings appears to activate involuntary attention, giving the brain's directed attention time to rest.
The study demonstrates that playtime and nature time are important not only for learning but also for health and development. According to the study, young rats who aren’t allowed to play develop social problems in adulthood. They fail to recognize social cues and the nuances of rat hierarchy; they aren't able to mate. However, Dr. Stuart Brown, the author of the new book "Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul" says that people who play as children actually handle the problems of life better.
Dr. Brown, a psychiatrist in Carmel Valley, Calif., collected more than 6,000 "play histories" from a variety of people. Dr. Brown is the founder of the National Institute for Play, and works with educators and legislators to promote the importance of preserving playtime in schools. Dr. Brown believe that play is a fundamental biological process and a major health issue. He wants teachers to know that playful learning actually leads to better academic success than the skills and drills approach.
The National Institute for Play, proposes that play is joyful, that it refreshes and energizes, and is a central element of life for all people, not just children. The research at NIP shows that play shapes the brain to help people be smarter and better able to adapt to situations. The National Institute for Play suggests play be woven into all social practices, where it will transform people’s health, relationships, education, and the capacity of corporations to innovate.
According to the NIP website, the science of play validates what educators Alice Meckley, Ph.D., Vivian Paley, Sharna Olfman and Kathy Hirsch-Pasek who advocate that when students have fun at learning, they continue to pursue it for its own sake. Long-term studies under way indicate that play-based learning with playful teachers heightens overall long term performance. These educators propose to transform the educational system to incorporate these changes.
