Should pre-school be work or play?

Question

Should it be about getting the basics for the three r's or should playschool be just that, 'play'school?

Answer 1

It should be learning disguised as play.  There should be rules and schedules, but the children should not feel pressured and it should not be a direct instruction environment.  At that young age the child should be learning social skills, and life skills.  Reading and math can wait for pre-kindergarten.

Answer 2

PLAY!! children learn through play, they shouldnt be made do any work that they dont want to. its suppose to be fun because they learn about something if they find it interesting.

they learn all their physical skills while playing

they learn social skills interacting with the other children

they learn language from stories, songs and rhymes

Answer 3

It should be play with education in mind.  If you watch other aninmals (dogs, chimps, etc.) their young learn through play acting of real circumstances.  It's the same with us.  Young children learn best when they are interested in the activity and interacting - playing is interacting at it's best.

Answer 4

Play, play, play!!!

Children so young need to do their learning through play so they can still learn aspects of the '3r's' through their play.  They are not yet mature enough to be ready to learn in a more formal environment.  Remember that many European countries do not start formal schooling until later than UK and they show no difference in acheivements at the end of Primary school age.

Answer 5

Children learn through play...This is a must, that is all they know.....

Answer 6

I think it should be both because play is a great physical part for a child but work is great for intellectualy.

In pre-school children show focus on the PIES (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and social)

Answer 7

It should be learning through play...so both.

Answer 8

Play is a child's work.

Answer 9

both - learning through play

never underestimate the power of play  - their play is their work

Answer 10

Definitely PLAYschool. Children learn through play and the same as all learning- they learn at different rates so they should be able to play at their own level and develop accordingly. There's just far too much emphasis these days on 'how academic' a child is compared to another - I love hearing the stories about what the child did with their play time. Let them be children first and the structured learning come second when they're ready for it. They need to be able to develop their imaginations and it'll be lost if they're being guided from the start to 'this is what you have to learn' - it takes away their independant thoughts.

"A child is not an empty vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit" - Hebrew proverb.

They're at school long enough without adding another 2 or 3 years on at the start. Enough pressures in life without feeling behind at 3.

Mother of 3, trained primary teacher.

Answer 11

Kids learn through play.  But the focus should be on play

Answer 12

It used to be play.  However, with the "No Child Left Behind" legislation, they need to be prepared for testing as early as K. They will be given a Dibel test. ( Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills )Google it.  They need to be up on Initial Sound Fluency, Letter Names, Phoneme Segmentation, and Nonsense Work Fluency.  It isn't your mother's pre-school any more.

Answer 13

It should be for play, that is how children learn best!  The rest will come later, at that age it should be about gaining independence, making choices, developing personal, social and emotional skills, enjoying learning - all the things you get from play!  Gaining these essential skills through play will mean that children will be more able to deal with formal learning when it comes.  Look at Reggio Emilia and schooling in Sweden - informal learning with positive results!

So long as practitioners have the experience and skills to incorporate learning into play and scaffold that learning as needed, the 'three Rs' will be learnt by children, just not in a formal setting.

Answer 14

Kids learn almost everything they need to know during play as long as the environment is set up correctly. Teachers should have a circle time daily to go over basics (letters and numbers) but 90% of the day should be free play in learning centers.

Answer 15

It is WORK in a fun environment.  I own a pre-school so Im always trying to find a balance between work and fun.  The children should not feel like they're working.  They should have the impression that they're having fun.  Otherwise they'll lose interest and not pay attention.

Answer 16

I work in home-learning with children with disabilities and developmental delays, birth to five years of age. The method we use to help them progress is based on the portage model and is play based.

Play is the natural learning method for all children.

Answer 17

more play than work but mix it in so they cant tell

Answer 18

its more like ur work is playing and teaching the little ones.....

Answer 19

I work in a nursery school, as a qualified nursery nurse, and although i love it, i think it has become far too structured for the kiddies. They learn so much more effectively through play than being 'taught' formally, ie 'linking sounds and letters' and the new EYFS thats coming in. i think they need some structure, but they also need to be children!!!

Answer 20

I think preschool should be more of play with occasional education pushed in

if the children get to play and have fun they get to focus on their creativity and social skills

then if they do have to do some work they can be more expressive and this will et them enjoy themselves as they begin their eduacational lives

Answer 21

It should be learning through play-children shouldnt be expect to read and write but should be gaining experiences in loving stories, realising that those squiggles have meanings and that writing is for communicating.

Pre-school should focus on the social and emotional side-where children learn to interact with others, to share and have fun. Also to get used to being away from parents and forming trusting relationships with others.

I think that forcing children to attain targets to early just puts them off the other 12-ish years of schooling!

BUT

I dont think the word "just...play" should be taken lightly...it takes dedicated and well trained, caring staff to provide the right sort of 'play' to stimulate the children!

Answer 22

Children learn best through play at that age.

Answer 23

an interesting question! amazing how many responses are 'play', yet we are pushing academics further down to babyhood. I tested 4 yr old PRESCHOOLERS for a federally mandated "No child Left Behind' test.  We are teaching stuff that was taught in Kindergarten and 1st grade 20 yrs ago. Yet, one thing I see too much of is that Lil Johnny may be academically 'ready-for-school. But Lil Johnny is seriously lacking play skills. It has been odd this far down the road in my career. I have a mixed age 3-5 yr class. I have three and young four yr olds not knowing how to 'play' with blocks. Oh, mom says they are playing. they throw them, kick them, stack them high. Yet I do not see 'forts' or 'castles'. something with four walls. constructive creativity is seriously lacking.