The Alliance for Childhood is a non-profit partnership of educators and health professionals who promote and believe in the healthy development of children. The College Park, MD-based organization also advocates that play initiated and directed by children should be an integral part of their lives. The Alliance for Childhood works with like-minded groups and individuals to restore play in the classroom and at home.
Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School
Almon, J., & Miller, E. (2009). Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. College Park MD: The Alliance for Childhood.
Thanks to everything from so-called smart baby products, standardized testing, and an increased focus on teaching literacy and numeracy skills at too young an age, play is being moved out of America’s classrooms. The effects are startling – many experts link a rise in severe behavior problems and anxiety in children to inadequate playtime. There is a balance to be achieved in play-based learning, however. In a healthy kindergarten, play does not mean that anything goes. Nor is it so tightly structured that children are denied the opportunity to learn through their own initiative and exploration. Young children need a balance of child-initiated play in the presence of an engaged teacher, and more focused, experience-based learning, guided by the teacher. Because children develop important attributes such as creativity, initiative, problem-solving and cooperation through imaginative play, changes must be made to ensure play is a priority in schools and communities.
