We all need to play

This amazing quote has been on my radar since I found it on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago (have you noticed my obsession with Pinterest yet?!). I finally tracked down the original source, it is from U46 Early Learners Curriculum Blog.

I teach preschool, so these words are not news to me, I experience them every day.  The understanding that young children need to move, try new things, be loud, explore new places, and use their entire bodies to learn things all play a role in my lesson plans.

I would, however, love to print this out and send it home to parents at different times throughout the year.  Sometimes parents need reminders that preschool is just that PREschool.  Don’t get me wrong, I have some amazing parents, and I know that they want their children to be successful in school, but that does not mean that their expectations for the things that I do with them in the classroom are always developmentally appropriate.

Of course I want the children to learn their letters and numbers. Yes, I do want them to love reading books and participating in science experiments. But I also know that some days they need to pretend they are jungle animals and make muddy messes.  These activities are just as valuable as our daily calendar routine (which we may skip every now and then if there is some serious play going on).  I love the fact that I get to be flexible with my schedule. I love that I can take advantage of learning opportunities as they present themselves, and I promise that the fact that we didn’t get to play that dice game today does not mean that your child will not know the difference between two and four.