The Importance of Play and the Cognitive Development of Children
The Importance of Play and the Cognitive Development of Children
Marlene Joy M. Cepeda
Western Governors University
Abstract
The focus on academic success and high assessment scores has led many educators and administrators to perceive play as an unimportant part of a child’s development. But play does lay a good foundation developmentally for children. Through each different types of play, a child develops the necessary skills in order to succeed. When children are given opportunities to play, they develop the connections and experiences they will use to help them succeed academically.
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was created in 2001, schools have shifted their focus onto academics and achieving high scores for standardized tests. This focus on academics has led many administrators and parents to perceive play as unimportant for children ages birth and five years old. Even though play may seem unimportant to those outside early childhood education, it creates a solid foundation for the child’s cognitive development and future academic success. In 2001, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the No Child Left Behind Act that would change the way schools addressed academics. Schools had to focus on ensuring all students were able to perform and were meeting the state academic standards. Kysilka (2003) wrote “the purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act was to hold schools, local educational agencies and States accountable for improving the academic achievement of all students and identifying and turning around low-performing schools that have failed to provide a high-quality education to their students, while providing alternatives to students in such schools to enable the students to receive a high-quality education” (Kysilka, 2003, p. 100). Since schools and administrators are being held to a standard, parents are looking at these scores to see if the child succeeds or fails. The
Marlene Joy M. Cepeda
Western Governors University
Abstract
The focus on academic success and high assessment scores has led many educators and administrators to perceive play as an unimportant part of a child’s development. But play does lay a good foundation developmentally for children. Through each different types of play, a child develops the necessary skills in order to succeed. When children are given opportunities to play, they develop the connections and experiences they will use to help them succeed academically.
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was created in 2001, schools have shifted their focus onto academics and achieving high scores for standardized tests. This focus on academics has led many administrators and parents to perceive play as unimportant for children ages birth and five years old. Even though play may seem unimportant to those outside early childhood education, it creates a solid foundation for the child’s cognitive development and future academic success. In 2001, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the No Child Left Behind Act that would change the way schools addressed academics. Schools had to focus on ensuring all students were able to perform and were meeting the state academic standards. Kysilka (2003) wrote “the purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act was to hold schools, local educational agencies and States accountable for improving the academic achievement of all students and identifying and turning around low-performing schools that have failed to provide a high-quality education to their students, while providing alternatives to students in such schools to enable the students to receive a high-quality education” (Kysilka, 2003, p. 100). Since schools and administrators are being held to a standard, parents are looking at these scores to see if the child succeeds or fails. The
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