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Fairfax Futures
School Readiness Network News
Greetings!
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato once advised: "The most effective kind of education is that a child should play among lovely things." More than 2,300 years later, educators are still exploring the relationship between play and learning. This topic is as current as our Fifth Annual School Readiness Symposium on April 25. Research has shown that play is crucial for cognitive, emotional and social development. Play, notes Dr. Stuart Brown, a keynote speaker at the April 25 symposium, is as important to humans as sleep. Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, another featured speaker, asserts that young children learn best in a playful context. In short, play is vital for success in school and in life. This issue of our School Readiness Network e-newsletter is devoted to learning through play and is chock-full of related links. I hope to see you at the symposium. In the meantime, have a ball! Best wishes,  Vera Steiner Blore Executive Director
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Join Fairfax Futures, Fairfax County's Office for Children and Fairfax County Public Schools for an in-depth focus on play.
Fifth Annual School Readiness Symposium
April 25, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Fairfax County Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway
There is no charge for this event, but registration is required.
Please call 703.324.3076 no later than April 21 to register.
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Everyone Needs To Play
Symposium keynote speaker Stuart Brown claims that play "enables us to innovate, problem-solve, and be happy, smart, resilient human beings." Brown's newest book, released in March and co-authored with Christopher Vaughan, is Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. You can download the book's first chapter through his Web site.
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Advocates for Children Push for More Play
One
of the critical issues that the Alliance for Childhood targets is the
loss of creative play and hands-on activities in children's lives. This
organization of children's education and health advocates provides many
on-line resources on play, as well as its recent report, Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. |
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Make Room for Make-Believe 
Activities in which children pretend, play roles and negotiate with each other can be lost in the midst of media use, electronic toys, academic drills and structured lifestyles. Yet make-believe is vital to a child's development. The National Institute for Early Education Research offers an overview of ways that imaginative play benefits self-regulation.
Easy Ways To Foster ImaginationNational Public Radio asked three experts to describe activities parents can do to foster a young child's imagination and self-regulation. Here are their answers. |
The Origin of Alphabet Blocks--Who Knew?
 In his 1693 work, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, English philosopher John Locke noted how much practice and repetition children happily put into their play. He proposed "dice and play-things with the letters on them, to teach children the alphabet by playing." |
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Tips for Playtime
Offer simple toys and
objects such as boxes and fabric scraps.
Leave time for
child-initiated play.
Find adventure outside, especially in nature.
Encourage children to help
with adult activities such as cooking or yard work.
Use a felt storyboard
with moveable pictures
to invent stories.
Remember that there is
more than one
"right" way.
Let your child talk to himself/herself.
Repetition can bore
you as an adult,
but thrill your child.
Sing, laugh and make
noise at a level
your child enjoys.
Join in the fun!
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Creative Ideas on the Web
Sometimes busy parents and educators can't think of yet another
activity to encourage healthy play. That's when the Internet comes in
handy. Many sites offer adults a host of simple games, recipes, craft
activities and tips for playtime. Here's an example. |
Not yet a member of the School Readiness Network?Join us!
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