I found an article on the Importance of Play. Play allows children to express themselves and make learning their own. Learning doesn't just have to be through a strict rigid schedule or curriculmn but learning takes place through hands on learning and play. The article that I found was titled The Vital Rold of Play in Early Childhood Education. It stated " Adults are convinced that we need to “teach” young children. It is certainly true that we need to set an example in all kinds of activities. We also need to create appropriate spaces where children can play and learn, and we need to lend a helping hand--at times intervene when things are going wrong. But mostly we need to honor the innate capacity for learning that moves and fulfills the needs of healthy children." (Alamon).


I found this article to be interesting because many times we just think of play as a form of entertainment for children when in reality it is more than just fun. Children are learning during the times of play. It is during these times that children tend to learn the most because it is free play that allows them to be creative, free, and enjoy what they are doing without the pressures of a strict curriculum.

http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf