Baby boomers remember kindergarten as a time of play and social interaction. Today, kindergarten is serious business with most students learning how to read before going on to 1st grade. So, what should preschools become? Should preschools with 3- and 4-year-olds be the beginning for teaching reading and math skills? Which format is best?
Academics vs. Play in Preschools
Larry Schweinhart, president of High/Scope, a nonprofit educational research foundation based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, says, "Parents have reason to be concerned about this because of the ‘push down’ we’ve experienced. Kindergartners are now expected to learn what first-graders once learned. It’s something we’ve been talking about for years, but it’s just gotten worse." [1]
How much can small children be expected to learn at a younger and younger age? David Elkind is greatly concerned about this new trend. Elkind is known for his books on child development. His works are more than twelve but two that are often quoted are The Hurried Child (Cambridge, 1981) and The Power of Play (Cambridge, 2007). Both books stress that children are being pushed far beyond their natural ability to cope with inappropriate expectations.
Elkind, professor of child development at Tufts University, states, "It’s absolutely the wrong move. While some children may be ready for such academics, the vast majority of human brains aren’t developed enough to truly learn reading or math concepts until they’ve reached the age of reason (typically at age 5 or 6). When we try to teach children skills that require interval units before this age of reason, we run the risk of killing the child’s motivation for learning, for schooling and for respecting teachers." [1]
Learning Should be Fun in Preschools
Deborah Stipek calls academic preschools "Drill and Kill." Stipek says, "I’ve gone into preschools and listened to children recite the alphabet or count to 100, for example. And people might say, ‘Oh, what a great school!’ because the children recite this information. But if you ask, ‘If you have three cookies and I give you another one, how many do you have?’ they wouldn’t know." Stipek is the dean of the school of education at Stanford University, one of the most highly respected colleges in the United States. [1]
However, Stipek is not in favor of totally unstructured preschools either. "I’m supportive of learning activities that are intentional and planned, but fun and engaging for kids." [1]
Criteria for Preschool Selection
Rae Pica, author of A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity, and Free Time Create a Successful Child [Marlow & Co., 2006] and Great Games for Young Children [Gryphon House, 2006], tells of her preferences when selecting a preschool. Research shows that children learn better in the following format:
- Movement is the young child’s preferred mode of learning.
- Lessons that are physically experienced have more immediate and longer-lasting impact.
- The integration of body systems allows for optimal learning to take place.
- The more senses used in the learning process, the more information retained.
- Play is linked to greater creativity and problem solving, improved reading levels, and higher IQ scores.
There is a strong correlation between the time children are most playful and the time when the brain is making the most connections. [2]
Therefore, Pica suggests that parents look for the following when selecting a preschool for their child.
- Sorting and stacking blocks and other manipulatives (mathematical knowledge)
- Singing and dancing, or acting out a story (emergent literacy)
- Growing plants from seeds, exploring the outdoors, and investigating at sand and water tables (science)
- Trying on various roles and interacting with one another at housekeeping and other dramatic-play centers (social studies) [2]
Pressure from the White House
Arne Duncan, President Barack Obama’s appointed Secretary of Education, says, "If we are to prevent the achievement gap and develop a cradle-to-career educational pipeline, early learning programs are going to have to be better integrated with the K-12 system." [3] This leaves many wondering what that statement means. Is the government going to begin legislating preschool curriculums? If so, which format will be adopted? Play or academic?
Research shows that there is a difference in adults that attended a play format preschool.
- By age 23 people who attended play-based preschools were eight times less likely to need treatment for emotional disturbances.
- Graduates of play-based preschools were three times less likely to be arrested for committing a felony.
- Fantasy play, in which students plan the roles they’re going to fill, have a measurable effect on children’s ability to control their impulses. That skill is more closely correlated to academic success in kindergarten than intelligence is. [3]
The debate on the structure of preschools is likely to continue. Will the final decision be based on research or politics? Preschools should be fun and filled with active play. Research suggests strong support for a play-based format but Arne Duncan is asking for preschools to be consistent with K-12 curriculums. Will Duncan, who does not hold a teaching degree, determine the structure of preschools?
[1] Victoria Clayton, "Should preschools be all work, no play?," msnbc.com, August 6, 2007.
[2] Rae Pica, Place of Our Own, December 2009.
[3] Emma Brown, "The playtime’s the thing," The Washington Post, November 21, 2009.
Related article: How Stress Affects the Brain
Barbara Pytel - Email me Experience Although I was never particularly fond of going to school as an ELL student, I ironically became a teacher, ...
