I was observing my children yesterday and thinking again about all the learning that happens while they "play." If you're skeptical of this idea, take a minute to think about what's involved in a particular "play" that your children love, and imagine how a public school would quantify the skills that are being used. I did that with three activities that are favorites in our house - see if you can guess what they are before reading the answer!
Super Serious Learning Activity #1 Involves:
counting
sorting by color, shape, and size
following written directions
creativity & visualization
imagination
problem solving, critical thinking & analysis
fine motor skills
observation
interpersonal communication (when done with a brother)
Answer...
Legos.
Super Serious Learning Activity #2 Involves:
counting
color recognition & matching
number recognition & matching
following directions
sharing & taking turns
social/emotional learning
interpersonal communication
conflict resolution
strategic thinking/planning ahead
Answer...
playing Uno.
Super Serious Learning Activity #3 Involves:
both gross and fine motor skills
sensory/tactile experience
imagination & role playing
experimentation & creativity
interpersonal communication (when done with a brother)
observation of weather & surrounding environment
Answer...
playing in the sand.
I know that more could be added to these lists, and that you could easily make your own lists for the play that your child loves best. Any ONE of these "skills" is needed and worth taking the time to develop!
The point here is not to try to measure any of these skills, and certainly not to tell your child about it or make them do something in particular ("Ok, son, let's sort these Legos by color and count how many we have! Did you know you're developing your fine motor skills right now?" Suddenly Play has turned into School and I guarantee your child will start to lose interest). Instead, I'd rather leave them alone, trust that this invisible learning is happening at exactly the right pace and amount that my child needs, and protect this important learning time called Play.
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