Play: The Kindergartners' Perspective

Abstract

The Elementary School Journal Volume 80, Number 2 ? 1979 by The University of Chicago 0013-5984/80/8002-0008$00.75 The role of play in education is a major concern of early childhood educators. In colonial times, the tendency of children to play was taken to be a sign of their moral laxity, and adults admonished children to avoid the frivolity of play in favor of work and study (1). By the middle of the nineteenth century, attitudes toward play had changed. As adults began to value children for their innocence and youth, the play of children came to be seen as an expression of their innate zest for life, their curiosity, and their essential goodness. In 1896 George Herbert Mead called on educators to base children's early educational experiences on spontaneous play activities called forth by the proper use of natural stimuli (2). Froebel, Dewey, and Hall, for varied reasons, supported play in early childhood educational experiences (3); and play activities eventually became standard in most classrooms for young children. In public school systems, kindergarten classrooms continue to reflect this emphasis on the importance of children's play. Most kindergarten teachers view play as a natural and spontaneous activity of young children. Play is considered necessary for healthy mental, physical, and social development; play activities are meaningful and relevant to children, and simply providing the opportunity for healthy play appears sufficient to ensure that young children will involve themselves. Some