18 minute read
YES to the 4 P’s
Melissa Smith
Article
YES to the 4 P’s! Research on Preschool Play, Perceptions, and the Pandemic: Recommendations for Trends in the Decline of Play
Imagine if young children did not learn the following skills: compromise, turn-taking, rule formation, imagination, curiosity, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, cognitive processing, emotional self-regulation, socialization, empathy, interpersonal skills, self-efficacy, physical competency, oral language, literacy, science inquiry, and mathematical thinking. All of these skills and many more are being developed when a child engages in play-based learning. The purpose of this article is to bring awareness to the increasing problem of the decline in play among preschoolers, provide insight into parent and teacher perceptions of play, and explore the effects of the pandemic on preschool play. To conclude the article, recommendations are provided for pedagogical practice in an effort to reestablish expectations and design a new normal surrounding the topic of play in the classroom.
Preschool Play
Play in preschool classrooms has significantly decreased and continues to decline at a rapid rate. Young children today spend a large amount of their time sedentary. There has been an increasingly greater
focus on academics as early as children entering preschool with a focus on utilizing worksheets and achieving academic goals and less time devoted to play opportunities. Preschool is confidence. Various studies have been published on the topic of play (Berk & Meyers, 2013; Brėdikytė & SujetaitėVolungevičienė, 2015; Lillard, 2017). Research studies have taken place
becoming the new kindergarten and kindergarten the new first grade. Young children are now obligated to learn through worksheets, workbooks, teacher-based instruction, and practices that are not developmentally appropriate (Christakis, 2016). Specifically, there has been a decrease in unstructured, self-initiated free-play and an increase in structured, teacherdirected play activities with a greater focus on academics (Lynch, 2015). When young children participate in free choice selection, they acquire developmental knowledge supporting cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and language growth. As play decreases, children are becoming more disruptive and beginning to show signs of behavioral and social-emotional issues. Play provides an outlet for children to explore their emotions and develop selffocusing on the negative developmental effects when play is not included in the curriculum (Brown, 2014; Roberts, Rodkey, Ray, Knight, & Saelens, 2017). Other researchers have attributed the decline in play to a rise in sensory issues among young children (Roberts, Stagnitti, Brown, & Bhopti, 2018). Furthermore, there has been an increase in research related to how technology is adversely impacting the amount of play a young child is engaging in throughout the day. Children’s screen time is increasing and those conversational and social skills that occur during play are much less practiced (Christakis, 2016). Psychologist Peter Gray has spent decades studying children’s natural way of learning and the value of play. Gray observed the decline in play over the last 50-60 years through evidence provided by historical analyses that studied how
children are spending their time and through surveys completed by parents based on what their child is doing. Through his research, Gray (2017) found that children are playing less due to parental fears instigated by society on the risks of free play; children spend more time in school, doing homework, and enrolled in adult activities. In the past stress are closely connected in that when children experience play they exhibit low levels of cortisol and activate synapses thus improving brain development (Yogman et al., 2018). Another factor influencing the decline in play is that of increased technology. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (Rosen et al., 2014) children
children used to play with other children in the neighborhood and Gray found that there is a decline in neighborhood play as well as in family size resulting in few opportunities for children to engage in free play experiences. Gray (2016) also observed that with the decline in play, negative impacts in mental health and physical wellbeing increase. Through his studies, Gray revealed that young people have increased anxiety and depression with an intense decline in their ability to feel in control of their lives. With these repercussions, there is an increase in self-centeredness. Creative thinking skills fall very low on the list; another type of skills that children learn through play opportunities (Gray, 2016). Play and under the age of two should not be exposed to screen time and limited amounts of time are proposed for those older than two years of age as well. A fiveyear longitudinal study was conducted with 667 pregnant women determining that mothers play a significant role in their children’s early years of life and that early exposure to screen time could be connected to their screen time use when older (Xu et al., 2016). The researcher found that pregnant mothers should focus on their own physical activity, use of screen time, and increased playtime with their child in order to intervene early and support their child’s development. Immersion in electronic devices and screen time takes away from a child’s opportunity for real play and drains them of creativity (Yogman et al., 2018).
Another study, related to technology and its impact on young children, had researchers focused on the following four areas: behavioral issues, focused attention problems, psychological concerns, and physical health in early childhood-age children (Rosen et al., 2014). Findings from the study resulted in the researcher’s prediction that an increase in technology would bring about negative health effects. Parental concerns related to screen time have also been studied. Researchers studied perceptions of 615 parents over three age levels including early childhood, middle, and adolescence (Sanders et al., 2016). Parents in the young childhood age level that participated in the research study reported that they use technologyrelated parenting approaches and their attitudes toward technology were not related to their use of parenting strategies, but rather they needed to set higher levels of enforcing lessened screen time (Sanders et al., 2016). An increase in screen time also impacts a young child’s social skills as observed in a study conducted by Hinkley, Brown, Caron, and Teychennel (2018). The mothers in this study reported the amount of their child’s screen time, social skills, and outdoor play. The researchers determined through this study that screen time including movies and television had adverse effects while outdoor play favorably supported a preschool child’s social skills (Hinkley et al., 2018).
Perceptions
While minimal, there have been studies conducted with preschool programs that explore parent and teacher perceptions regarding play (Kane, 2016). Parent and teacher attitudes and perceptions about outdoor time and play have been explored (Tandon et al., 2016). In another study, researchers discussed parental barriers associated with increasing outdoor playtime (Jayasuriya et al., 2016). Babuc (2015) found that little research has been conducted that gathers information on parenting approaches related to expectations when parents are playing with their children. Using a socioecological viewpoint, Watchman and Spencer-Cavliere (2017) studied parents’ perceptions of free play. Lynch (2015) provided a different aspect of play in the classroom as she focused on teacher perspectives in a kindergarten classroom. Lynch discussed the benefits of play for kindergarteners and used an online research method to analyze a discussion that took place between teachers on seven online public message boards. The findings included a variety of negative and positive perceptions related to play in the kindergarten classroom (Lynch, 2015).
Exploring parental and teacher views on play can provide valuable insight. Parents have the responsibility to make informed decisions about their child’s education however, teachers have the training and knowledge about best practices. Researchers have recently conducted studies exploring parental perceptions of play and propose that parents believe academics are more important than play, especially when it comes to preparing children for school readiness (Jiang & Han, 2016; Warash, Root, & Devito, 2017). Since parents and teachers are possibly the most influential people in a young child’s life, investigating their perceptions study conducted by Grindal et al. (2016) while early childhood programs educate the child, one approach to increase the success of the program is to also include additional programming for parent education. Parents and teachers are typically a young child’s first play partner and this early involvement helps to scaffold a child’s ability to engage in play opportunities (Babuc, 2015). Dialogue and guidance are modeled by the adult which then allows the child to master skills that may take them longer to achieve on their own (Yogman et al., 2018). As children get older and more mature they are interested in
about play is one way to deepen knowledge about the decline of play. Parents are stakeholders in their child’s education; therefore, examining parental perspectives related to play provides insightful and valuable opportunities to the early childhood education field. Parent education is crucial in order to help parents feel empowered to support their developing children (Grindal et al., 2016). According to a initiating their own play activities and independence increases.
Pandemic
The pandemic has brought challenges related to play in early childhood classrooms. According to a recent research study (Kourti, Stavridou, Panagouli, Psaltopoulou, Tsolia, Sergentanis, and Tsitsika, 2021), outdoor play decreased as a result of restrictive measures and screen time for both
Due to the elimination of outdoor play, primary children also experienced a change in eating habits and a decline in exercise (Moyer, 2022).
educational and leisure purposes increased. The study investigated how children’s playtime was affected by COVID-19 by reviewing 17 studies in Europe and North America. Researchers further discovered that children were more engaged in video games and television watching. Repercussions of the pandemic also took a toll on children’s social and emotional well-being as children missed their friends and being able to play in general (Kourti et al., 2021). While children continued to be imaginative in their play experiences, pretend play as nurses and doctors increased. There is nothing wrong with children exploring these occupations, but teachers and parents should be aware of the imaginary play activities children engage in that may reflect their COVID-19 experiences. For example, children at one nursery school were playing the “death game” which involved a child coughing, falling down, then dying while another child took on the caretaker role (Pascal & Bertram, 2021). Gray (2020) associates the decline in play before the pandemic with a significant decline in children’s mental health. However, even though children could not play with others during the pandemic, it may have provided more opportunities for children to play and possibly increased play interactions and closeness with family members (Gray, 2020). With the reopening of schools, parks filled with screaming children, and mask mandates lifted, it would seem that the world is returning to a sense of normalcy. However, the lockdowns, virtual learning, and extensive restrictions will have a long-lasting effect on our youngest children. Some of these effects include a surge in special education services, an increase in children with Individualized Education Plans, and a rise in socialemotional behavioral problems (Jung & Barnett, 2021). Neurodevelopmental scores have dropped significantly among pandemic-born babies, with some of the most significant decreases in scores in infants from low-income families (Moyer, 2022). A lack of outdoor play during the pandemic resulted in an increase in gross motor development issues and a higher body mass index in primary children (Sum et al., 2022). Due to the elimination of outdoor play, primary children also
experienced a change in eating habits and a decline in exercise (Moyer, 2022). In a literature review article by Rogers (2022) on play during the pandemic, findings include the suggestion of planning for a child-centered approach in the event of a future pandemic. One way to support this idea would be to give children a voice in expressing their needs and concerns over restrictions set on play (Rogers, 2022). This type of child-centered approach comes with criticism in the field of education due to its perceived notions that children do not have the ability to be reflective thinkers. Rogers (2022) states, “A theme running through studies of the impact of the pandemic so far is the need to take children’s perspectives, needs, and ideas much more fully into account…”. Another suggestion is for parents and caregivers to engage young children in more gross motor activities. Children need to be supported as they learn to cope with the aftermath of the ongoing pandemic. While children may have academically and socially fallen behind at the start of COVID-19, researchers are hopeful that they will be able to catch up (Moyer, 2022). Research studies continue to be conducted and published on how the pandemic has affected young children.
Recommendations
Now, let’s say YES to the 4 R’s! The goal in moving forward is to consider how expectations and opportunities for play in early childhood classrooms can be
Reestablished, Reeducated, Recreated,
and Reflected. The following are a few recommendations for pedagogical practice: 1. More transparency. Teachers may want to be more transparent with parents about the amount of time play is included in the preschool environment. Posting and sharing the daily schedule is an easy way to inform parents how much time play is included during the day. Share videos and pictures of their child engaging in play activities and briefly describe what they are learning. Make it your mission to reestablish the definition of play and promote the importance of play. 2. Provide handouts. Recreate the way that you present information to parents about the topic of play.
Provide a handout or newsletter with information on how the program defines play, the types of play opportunities the preschool children will engage in, and the benefits of play activities. Make connections with the state standards and address how the play-based experiences meet developmentally appropriate learning
goals. Consider taking pictures of the centers in your classroom and inserting the images in a handout explaining the types of toys and manipulatives found in each center. 3. Parent education classes. Teachers can support parents by offering parent education classes or events.
The following are a few topic ideas. • At Home Play Options: Provide parents with ideas for incorporating play activities at home.
• Social-Emotional Development:
Present strategies for parents to support their child’s socialemotional development. Emphasize the social-emotional development that occurs when children are engaged in play activities. • Screen Time: Share current research with parents on how screen time affects young children. Discuss possible solutions for limiting technology and ways to ensure quality screen time experiences. Explain how technology is appropriately utilized in the classroom and within the curriculum. 4. Professional Development. Seek opportunities for both teachers and administrators to reflect on and learn more about implementing play activities into the curriculum, the benefits of play, and incorporating social-emotional learning experiences in the early childhood classroom. Explore social-emotional curricula that best fit the needs of the early childhood program. Lastly, investigate and visit play-based learning programs in an effort to learn more about how to effectively integrate the play-based approach.
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Dr. Melissa Smith is the Program Leader and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Concordia University Chicago. She has served as a teacher, administrator, consultant, and professor in early childhood education for over 15 years. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education with endorsements in Spanish and Lutheran Teacher Education, an M.S. in Early Childhood Education, and an Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education.
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