Question Details

Psychology homework help

ece351 week 1 discussion 2 RESPONSE t.l., Psychology homework help

Question description

 Challenge them by asking a question that you would address when attempting to persuade a parent with an alternate view and provide recommendations to extend their discussions. 5 sentences.

Sadly, many people view playing as children "taking a break" from learning, when in actuality, play is their learning. While some parents don't understand the value of play over direct academic instruction, it is even more important as it teaches children many skills such as imagination and creativity, problem solving and thinking skills, social skills, language development, and cognitive development. "A pervasive characteristic of development is that children's functioning becomes increasingly complex - in language, social interaction, physical movement, problem solving, and virtually every other domain. Increased organization and memory capacity of the developing brain make it possible with age for children to combine simple routines into more complex strategies" (NAEYC, n.d., para.1).

According to our text on the neuroscience of play within child development, "A number of scholars concluded from both animal and human studies that infancy and early childhood were optimum periods for development and that the brain is most plastic during these periods and highly influenced by environmental stimulation" (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2011, pg. 63). This means that children who are exposed to experiences with social interaction, problem solving activities and situations, and opportunities to explore objects and activities with peers and adults will have greater cognitive growth through this stage window, that those who are not exposed to such environment. Additionally, during the first three years of life, the brain is determining which synapses and connections to keep, and which ones, left inactive, it will prune away and discard. "The early experiences of children play a critical role in determining the wiring of the brain and, it is hypothesized, the range and quality of the child's intellectual abilities" (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2011, pg. 66).

Cognitive development through play is optimal when children are engaged in interesting, meaningful activities that allow them to explore and discover alone or with peers, and facilitated with adults who actively ask questions and challenge children to stretch their vocabulary and thought process in answering and pondering over questions. I will provide these opportunities for children in my classroom by setting up the physical environment of the classroom to include dramatic play, block area, art area, reading and writing areas, manipulative area, and a computer area in the room. Within these areas will be materials that are regularly rotated in and out to provide children with new experiences to engage in with peers when playing.

I will have printed information for parents that will help them to understand the importance and the power play has on the developing brain of the child. I will also have observations and assessments of each child that I can share with corresponding parents to show them the growth that their child is making in the environment that supports play as learning.

Resources:

Frost, J., Wortham, S., & Reifel, S. (2011). Play and child development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.