Our Curriculum
How We Teach Your Children
What exactly is play-based learning?
The experimental psychologist Susanna Millar in the book, The Psychology of Play, defines play as: "any purposeful mental or physical activity performed either individually or group-wise in leisure time or at work for enjoyment, relaxation, and satisfaction of real-time or long-term needs."
SCIENCE
The experimental psychologist Susanna Millar in the book, The Psychology of Play, defines play as: "any purposeful mental or physical activity performed either individually or group-wise in leisure time or at work for enjoyment, relaxation, and satisfaction of real-time or long-term needs."
Areas of Development through play
Social and Emotional Development
The social aspect of play helps children build friendships and learn how to cooperate and work together. It offers opportunities for them to learn to resolve conflict (Blasi & Hurwitz 2012, Erickson 1985, Pellegrini & Smith 1998).
Playing with others also helps children establish a sense of self. They can initiate play and make decisions, which empowers them to become confident and motivated learners.
Physical Development (Fine and Gross Motor)
Physical development refers to gross and fine motor skills development and how a child uses their body. Through play, children build muscle mass and coordination, explore different tactile experiences, and get a healthy amount of exercise.
- Art and play expose children to different tactile experiences. They learn about the feeling of wooden blocks, soft plushy toys, wet paint, and more.
- Children build muscle mass and coordination as they jump, climb, swing, run, and move during play.
Play-based learning contributes to kindergarten readiness. According to a study conducted by the Gesell Institute for Human Development, even though kindergarten has become increasingly focused on academic skills, children pass cognitive milestones at the same rate as in the past, before kindergarten became this serious.
Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is a child’s growing ability to use their intellect to process information. It includes problem-solving, language learning, and the interpretation of sensations.
Play has been shown to support healthy brain development (Shonkoff & Phillips 2000, Frost 1998). It also engages a child’s mind and helps them hone early literacy and language skills, sensation and perception, and even basic science and math.
Spiritual Development
A child’s spiritual development must not be neglected. Children learn about God’s love for them and experience it through their family and the community around them. Thus, each child must be motivated toward an awareness and responsiveness to God. The Christian character traits of love, kindness, honesty, sharing, and thankfulness are emphasized in all aspects of the daily program. Spiritual formation goals for each student are integrated into the curriculum through formal Bible lessons and are lived out through the lives of our Christian educators as they teach and work with the children.
THEORIST
Lev Vygotsky described play as a "leading activity" and believed that play allows children opportunities to use language and to learn through role playing, as Plato believed, to "self-regulate" their behavior by following rules.
Jean Piaget viewed play as integral to the development of intelligence in children. His theory of play argues that as the child matures, their environment and play should encourage further cognitive and language development.
Mildred Parten's stage theory describes the ways children interact with each other. During solitary independent play, children play alone with objects without interacting with others even when they are near.
Freud regarded play as the means by which the child accomplishes his first great cultural and psychological achievements; through play he expresses himself. This is true even for an infant whose play consists of nothing more than smiling at his mother, as she smiles at him.SCIENCE
The experimental psychologist Susanna Millar in the book, The Psychology of Play [1], defines play as: "any purposeful mental or physical activity performed either individually or group-wise in leisure time or at work for enjoyment, relaxation, and satisfaction of real-time or long-term needs."