by Debbie Robus

Created on: September 20, 2010

Children learn through play.  A recent article by Nara Schoenberg of The Chicago Tribune titled "In new kindergarten, there's lots to learn" confirms what many of us already knew.

As a former kindergarten teacher, this title intrigued me.  I assumed this would be yet another article about how advanced our pre-schoolers have become and educators are racing to keep up with their unquenchable desire for technology-driven knowledge and academia.  To my delight, the article touted the promotion of "play-based" kindergartens versus "academically based" classrooms.

One quote says that a German study has found that "...kids who attended play-based kindergartens actually did better in reading and math at age 10 than kids who had attended academically-based kindergartens."  Additionally, Shoenberg says the German study "found that children who played in kindergarten came out ahead in reading, math, in imagination, in industriousness, in social and emotional adjustment to school. As a result of that study, the German kindergartens went back to being completely play-based."  The article further reports that "countries such as Japan, Finland and Germany offer a much more playful kindergarten experience."

This was some of the best news that I've had in a while.  A fellow kindergarten teacher used to pass out a leaflet each fall to the parents of her students that explained how - and what - children learn through play.  The list was quite lengthy.  Yes, we had students who could read when they entered our classrooms.  Yes, some learned to read during the school year.  But learning to read was not directly emphasized.  We spent the year engaging children in activities that taught them to work and play well with others, to develop their gross and fine motor skills, and to build a solid foundation of skills for reading, math, science, and more. 

When I left the classroom in 1986, I had a checklist of about 20 things for my students to accomplish by the end of the year, including counting to 20, tying their shoes, learning their address and phone number, and being able to recognize the eight basic colors.  A few years ago I helped with some local testing of our elementary school's kindergarten students.  They were required to be able to count by fives to one hundred - and backwards by tens from one hundred.

Why is play so vital to these young children?   Young children need time

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