All over the world today, school children are being encouraged to play. At Grace Cooperative Preschool, we don’t wait for Global School Play Day- we understand the importance of play every day in young children’s lives.
Play is more than fun. In early childhood, play is important. It is a child’s work. Seemingly simple childhood activities have layers of developing skills embedded. For example, working with play dough, children strengthen hands, wrists and fingers. Pinching and pulling the play dough develops pincer grip and fine motor control. Additionally, a busy play dough center with many children provides an opportunity for social emotional development as children share utensils and discuss their creations. In Kindergarten and first grade, children who have had the benefit of this experience have stronger muscles and greater stamina for writing, cutting and other fine motor activities. They have the social emotional readiness necessary to work collaboratively. Play based preschools foster school readiness skills and allow children to develop at their own pace in a meaningful way- through play.
