Article

How Children Learn by Playing

The  idea  of  children  learning  by  playing  may  seem outrageous  to  some parents and educational  institutions,  which firmly believe that  learning is all about getting good grades in school. Here, we talk about how the focus of  learning goes beyond grades,  and how kids can be taught  some of  the most complex concepts simply by playing and engaging in some activities.

The  concept  of  learning  by  playing  is  not  new.  In fact,  for  ages,  children have  been  taught  highly  complex  concepts  by  means  of  games  and activities  -  concepts  that  they  wouldn't  have  otherwise  grasped.  Such games and activities enhance personal  learning and development that no book  can  provide.  It  is  true  that  a  school  provides  education,  but

knowledge is subjective and can be increased and improved by means of some  very  simple  methods  such  as  playing  games.  There  are  so  many things that you have your kids do, without realizing the kind of message it is  imparting  to them,  or  the  kind of  effect  it  has  on their  minds.  Playing particularly  has  a  positive  effect  on  kids  and  helps  develop  their personality and skills.

What Children Learn By Playing

Instead of having kids cram information and simply talking to them about various concepts,  parents,  along with several  educational  institutions,  are adopting the art of teaching by playing with children. This,  they believe,  is a  better  way  of  inculcating  not  only  concepts  but  also  essential  values, particularly  in  the  most  formative  stages  of  a  child's  life.  It  is  human nature  to  learn  by  experience,  rather  than  when  told  or  explained  by someone else. Children should be allowed to learn from the consequences of  their  actions,  and  then  realize  why  they  were  or  weren't  asked  to  do something.  With  parent  and  teacher  participation  and  involvement,  for children, learning can be made fun rather than a mundane, stressful task that emphasizes only on cramming as much information as possible. A lot  of  concepts  that  education cannot  impart  are  taught  by  the  simple act of engaging in various indoor and outdoor activities.  Here's what kids learn when they engage in such activities:

By  being  allowed  to  play,  children  are  free  to  explore  their surroundings  and  develop experiences  that  are  unique  to them. They learn to take control and are capable of making their own decisions. They  learn  to  respect  rules  and  the  choice  of  others  around them.

Children  learn  how  to  use  their  imagination  in  play  and  this helps  develop  creativity.  The  use  of  imagination  also  helps them shut out unpleasantness and tackle inherent fears. Free  play  allows  kids  to  indulge  and  appease  their inquisitiveness. Interactions with others help develop communication skills and aid personality development. The  involvement  of  parents  in  the  entire  process  helps strengthen the bond between the child and parent, as children learn how to share their experiences with their parents.

Examples of How Children Learn by Playing

Why  are  kids  taught  mathematics  on  the  Abacus  before  they are taught  it  in the classroom? It  is because the abacus lays a strong foundation upon which the subject  revolves.  The basics of  addition,  subtraction,  multiplication,  and  division  are  all taught  on  this  colorful  tool,  where  kids  learn  how  these concepts work by manually moving the beads.  This makes it  a playful activity that allows learning by playing. Board  games  such  as  Monopoly  teach  children  how  to  use money wisely at a young age. It teaches them how to carry out transactions,  and  how  to  make  decisions  for  themselves.

Games  such  as  Scrabble  help  children  strategist  and  score more points by placing appropriate letters in the right spots. In  the  digital  age,  a  lot  of  educational  computer  games  and video  games  have  been  designed  to  teach  children  basic concepts such as strategy,  the importance of  teamwork,  along with enhancing  focus  and concentration.  Some  schools  in the US have started allowing kids to design video games that  help them learn in the process of designing. In the classroom, children are also taught the power of healthy communication,  of  group  effort,  and  the  benefits  of  team building.  It  teaches  children  not  only  to  function  as  a  group, but  to  lead  and  manage  large  groups  of  people,  thereby helping them develop leadership skills. Similar is the case with outdoor games and activities. Being the captain of a football team teaches a child how to lead, manage and achieve  goals  by  means  of  the  aforementioned concepts. In activities like camping, children are taught the importance of nature,  and the value of  having the comfort  of  a home and a bed, when they are roughing it up outdoors.

Encouraging Learning by Playing

In  order  to  encourage  learning  by  playing,  it  is  important  that  kids  be allowed to learn in their  own way.  There is  a difference  between guiding and  pressurizing,  and  as  a  parent/teacher,  you  ought  to  know where  to draw  the  line.  Here  are  some  guidelines  that  will  help  you  aid  learning through the process of playing. The  activities  and  games introduced  to  children  should  be age-appropriate. The  activity  that  kids  are  allowed  should  be  divided  into structured  and  unstructured  play.  This  means,  say  for  30 minutes, an adult should be guiding kids in their activities, and for another 30 minutes, the child should be allowed to do what he pleases, i.e. free play.

Schools  should  allot  specific  periods  for  children  to  free  play and  engage  in  teacher-led activities.  This  can  be  a  time  for structured  play,  during  which  they  can  enhance communication and other skills. They should be allowed to be in control  of  the situation,  even during  structured  play.  This  helps  them  develop  their  own methods of working on different activities. A child should be allowed to indulge in play for  as  long as  he wants  to,  and should not  be forced to sit  through a period of play  just  because  it  has  been allotted.  What  is  meant  to be  a fun  activity  to  aid  learning  should  not  get  frustrating  for  the child. All  in all,  this  idea  of  enabling  children  to  learn  by  playing  can  be implemented  in  different  manners.  Not  all  children  take  to  a  particular activity and may have other ways of imbibing knowledge and wisdom. Yet, this is a very effective way of  laying a strong foundation of  concepts that are not taught by books to children.  There is a lot for children to learn in life, and though not everything, playing with children and teaching them in the process will be highly beneficial to all of them.