Shore Joins Global School Play Day Movement
On February 3, Shore students in Pre-K through Grade 1 joined tens of thousands of other children around the world to participate in Global School Play Day 2016, an entire day of unstructured, child-generated discovery and exploration.
The special occasion is based on the work of Dr. Peter Gray, who argues in his book Free to Learn and in a well known TEDx talk that today's children do not grow up playing enough, and that this has negatively impacted them in many ways.
Gray contends, "Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth."
He believes that in order to nurture in children the skills to thrive in today’s world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray demonstrates that free play is a primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient.
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The special occasion is based on the work of Dr. Peter Gray, who argues in his book Free to Learn and in a well known TEDx talk that today's children do not grow up playing enough, and that this has negatively impacted them in many ways.
Gray contends, "Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth."
He believes that in order to nurture in children the skills to thrive in today’s world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray demonstrates that free play is a primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient.
These ideas are a natural fit in Shore's Lower School, where unstructured play and child-guided discovery are a major part of every day.
Kindergarten teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator Elizabeth MacCurrach says, "Whether it's figuring out how to make the roof of a cave of blankets stay put, or negotiating who will play which role in a make believe game, children build important intellectual and character skills as they play. As educators, we feel lucky to work at a school that understands the importance of unstructured play and provides its students with ample recess and student-directed choice time throughout the school year."
Pre-K teacher Beth White agrees, and quotes child development specialist James L. Hymes, Jr.: "Play for young children is not recreation activity. It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity. Play is thinking time for young children. It is language time, problem-solving time. It is memory time, planning time, investigating time. It is organization-of-ideas time, when the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in response to the stimuli he has met."
Legendary educator Fred Rogers would agree, White reminds. According to Rogers, "Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.... They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play."
Kindergarten teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator Elizabeth MacCurrach says, "Whether it's figuring out how to make the roof of a cave of blankets stay put, or negotiating who will play which role in a make believe game, children build important intellectual and character skills as they play. As educators, we feel lucky to work at a school that understands the importance of unstructured play and provides its students with ample recess and student-directed choice time throughout the school year."
Pre-K teacher Beth White agrees, and quotes child development specialist James L. Hymes, Jr.: "Play for young children is not recreation activity. It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity. Play is thinking time for young children. It is language time, problem-solving time. It is memory time, planning time, investigating time. It is organization-of-ideas time, when the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in response to the stimuli he has met."
Legendary educator Fred Rogers would agree, White reminds. According to Rogers, "Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.... They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play."
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.