Saving “Read this ZOOM ON PHONE DOUBLE TAP TO book!” —Elizabeth OR Jones TABLET PLAY Addressing Standards through Play-Based Learning in Preschool and Kindergarten Gaye Gronlund | Thomas Rendon COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Saving  PLAY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET MORE REDLEAF BOOKS BY GAYE GRONLUND Individualized Child-Focused Curriculum: A Differentiated Approach Planning for Play, Observation, and Learning in Preschool and Kindergarten Developmentally Appropriate Play: Guiding Young Children to a Higher Level Why Children Play: A Family Companion to Developmentally Appropriate Play Focused Observations: How to Observe Young Children for Assessment and Curriculum Planning, Second Edition, with Marlyn James Focused Portfolios: A Complete Assessment for the Young Child, with Bev Engel Make Early Learning Standards Come Alive: Connecting Your Practice and Curriculum to State Guidelines, Second Edition Early Learning Standards and Staff Development: Best Practices in the Face of Change, with Marlyn James COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Saving DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET PLAY Addressing Standards through Play-Based Learning in Preschool and Kindergarten Thomas Rendon | Gaye Gronlund COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Published by Redleaf Press 10 Yorkton Court St. Paul, MN 55117 www.redleafpress.org © 2017 by Thomas Rendon and Gaye Gronlund All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted on a specific page, no portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or capturing on any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet. First edition 2017 Cover design by Jim Handrigan Cover photograph by iStock photo/Frizzantine Interior design by Wendy Holdman Typeset in Karmina Interior photos by Peter Kaser Printed in the United States of America 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Rendon, Thomas. | Gronlund, Gaye, 1952— author. Title: Saving play : addressing standards through play-based learning in preschool and kindergarten / Thomas Rendon and Gaye Gronlund. Description: St. Paul, MN : Redleaf Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016040815 (print) | LCCN 2017004315 (ebook) | ISBN 9781605545301 (paperback) | ISBN 9781605545318 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Play | Early childhood education—Standards—United States. | BISAC: EDUCATION / Teaching Methods & Materials / General. | EDUCATION / Preschool & Kindergarten. | EDUCATION / Evaluation. Classification: LCC LB1140.35.P55 R46 2017 (print) | LCC LB1140.35.P55 (ebook) | DDC 372.21—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016040815 Printed on acid-free paper COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET To my daughters, Caroline and Beatrice, with whom I would play and play and play and play. THOMAS RENDON In memory of my colleague, collaborator, and dear friend Marlyn James. The early childhood field has lost a true champion. GAYE GRONLUND COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET CONTENTS Acknowledgmentsix Introduction: Play and Standards Can Go Together 1 PART 1: ANTICIPATION 7 CHAPTER 1 The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences 8 CHAPTER 2 The Importance of Teacher Engagement in Child-Directed Play 18 CHAPTER 3 Why Standards? Facts and Misconceptions about Early Learning and Kindergarten Standards 36 PART 2: SURPRISE and PLEASURE 49 CHAPTER 4 How Teachers Can Address Standards as Children Play 50 CHAPTER 5 Ensuring That Play Is Part of the Classroom Experience for All Young Children 65 PART 3: UNDERSTANDING and STRENGTH 78 CHAPTER 6 Addressing Approaches to Learning Standards in Play 83 CHAPTER 7 Addressing Language and Literacy Standards in Play 97 CHAPTER 8 Addressing Mathematics Standards in Play 110 CHAPTER 9 Addressing Science Standards in Play 122 CHAPTER 10 Addressing Social Studies Standards in Play 135 CHAPTER 11 Addressing Physical and Motor Development Standards in Play 150 CHAPTER 12 Addressing Social-Emotional Development Standards in Play 165 PART 4: POISE 181 CHAPTER 13 The Importance of Assessing Children’s Progress toward Standards in Play 182 CHAPTER 14 Saving Play in Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms: Strategies for Effective Advocacy 201 APPENDIX Policies That Seem to Interfere with Play 211 References217 Index227 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET ACKNOWLEDGMENTS From Thomas Rendon: I owe a debt of gratitude to the Play Committee of the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children, who made it possible for me to develop a presentation on play and standards that became the inspiration for this book. Special thanks go to Tammy Bormann, who both led the play committee for a time and organized the first major update of Iowa’s Early Learning Standards. She made sure play featured prominently. Thanks, too, to so many colleagues past and present, at the Iowa AEYC and the Iowa Department of Education who have been my teachers and mentors in all things early childhood. Finally, I want to acknowledge my prime inspiration for the value and importance of play: the work of Stuart Brown, Scott Eberle, and Walter Drew. From Gaye Gronlund: Thank you to the great writers and thinkers who influenced my understanding of play, including Elizabeth Jones, Gretchen Reynolds, Renatta Cooper, Vivian Paley, Walter Drew, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Golinkoff, and Stuart Brown. And thank you to the leaders in early childhood education who have included me in your efforts to write, revise, and enhance your early learning standards: Judith Paiz and Dan Haggard, New Mexico Brian Michalski, Rhonda Clark, Karen McCarthy, and Cindy Zumwalt, Illinois Eileen Nelson, Minnesota ix COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET INTRODUCTION Play and Standards Can Go Together C hildren’s play is under attack. Opportunities for children to engage in child-directed, open-ended play experiences are becoming fewer and fewer. We see it in community settings, in homes, and in many kindergartens and preschools. Drive by playgrounds in many communities and you will rarely see children playing there. The lovely climbing struc- tures and swings stand empty and forlorn-looking. Walk through a busy shopping area, an airport, or other public places and note how many children are mesmerized by electronic devices rather than engaging with their family members in animated conversations and ex- changing laughter and smiles. Visit with friends or family and see how children sit passively in front of television or computer screens, their eyes glazed over as they watch. Listen to worried parents describe how they simply cannot allow their children to run and jump and play outdoors unsupervised because of safety concerns. Or hear some say that they are just too busy to find the time for their children to play outside with adult supervision. Watch the commercialization of play as toy companies advertise products that are tied to the latest animated movie or cartoon show. These products do not engage children’s creativity, but rather encourage imitation and limited involvement. Other toys are advertised to promote highly focused intellectual gains such as alphabet recognition or letter-sound correspon- dence with no emphasis on critical thinking, imagination, or problem solving. In the field of early childhood education, a battle over play is going on. On one side, earnest and sincere educators, grounded in considerable research, make the argument that we must know what children need to learn and have evidence-based instructional prac- tices to teach them, in order to build the strong foundation they need for true academic success. Early learning and Common Core State Standards become the focus of preschool and kindergarten. Play is not seen as a viable strategy for addressing the standards. On the other side are equally earnest and sincere educators who believe that children learn best through their own exploration, driven by their own interests, and nurtured by caring adults. Standards will happen in play naturally, almost accidentally. While both sides have a point to make, we are concerned that play becomes the casualty in this battle. Neither view is helping educators make use of children’s play as a curricular strategy, as the richest and most useful context in which real and deep learning can take place. To emphasize learning more, some educators have replaced play with approaches that we see as shortsighted and that fail the test of developmental appropriateness. They require children to sit and listen for longer periods of time, to produce paper-and-pencil-based 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET work rather than hands-on creations that engage them in a more active way of learning new skills and concepts. We also have concerns that those who advocate for play have not adequately addressed how learning can be enhanced in the early childhood classroom. They have neglected the important tasks of setting clear goals and showing progress in meeting those goals. Both are essential elements in giving teaching purpose and direc- tion. This book is an effort to reconcile these positions so that play can be restored to its proper role as something that is not only fun for kids but also loaded with opportunities for learning. PLAY IN KINDERGARTENS AND PRESCHOOLS TODAY Play has been almost completely removed from the kindergarten experiences of most children (Rich 2015). Kindergarten teachers are under tremendous pressure to address standards and improve student achievement. The assumption is that to do so, they must engage in teacher-led lessons where children sit as passive learners, that the development of skills and academic understanding is best addressed through whole-group instruction and paper-and-pencil tasks. The benefits of playtime for children are not seen as academ- ically important. Even recess time has been cut dramatically in recent years with the justi- fication that it takes time away from important learning experiences. Preschool teachers feel the pressure to limit play as well. They, too, are asked to address standards and prepare children for the rigorous expectations of kindergarten. Family and community members, administrators, and policy makers question whether the time spent in play in preschool classrooms truly helps children meet learning goals. Like kindergarten teachers, preschool teachers often feel conflicted, asking themselves questions such as, “How much time should I allow for child-directed play? What is my role in that play? How can I make sure children are learning what they need to know to be successful in kindergarten?” OUR PASSION FOR PLAY We believe passionately that child-directed, open-ended play has a critical role in children’s health and well-being in both their social-emotional and cognitive development. We have been in the field of early childhood education for decades, advocating for best practices in programs that serve children from birth through age eight. There is no question in our minds that best practices in early childhood include play! Yet we still see play threatened from all sides, relegated to smaller and smaller portions of a child’s day in preschool and kindergarten with the goal of enhancing learning of academic skills and concepts. This approach robs children of essential child-directed experiences and devalues the learning that occurs when children play. 2 Introduction COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET This book addresses two critical questions: 1. Can child-directed, open-ended play activities in preschool and kindergarten ­classrooms address early learning and Common Core standards? 2. Can play be used to reach specific goals and objectives across all developmental domains? Our resounding answer to both of these questions is yes! We strongly believe that teachers do not have to sacrifice play for academic achievement. We also recognize that incorporating play in meaningful ways that contribute to learning is not as simple a process as it looks. We think that many teachers are presented with a false dichotomy: play versus academics or play versus standards. We know that play, academics, and standards can and do work together! It is our sincere hope that this book will inspire others to maintain their passion for play and to advocate for it in their professional settings. WHO WE ARE The two of us have different perspectives about play and standards because we serve in different roles as early childhood professionals. Here is more about each of us: Tom Rendon is a policy maker. As Iowa’s Head Start State Collaboration Office ­coordinator with the Iowa Department of Education, he promotes policies and partnerships that encourage best practices in curriculum and assessment for young children. As a recognized leader in the field, he has served on the governing board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and numerous early childhood boards and councils at the state and local level. He is also a member of the Iowa AEYC’s Play Committee, which is dedicated to supporting play across early childhood settings in the state. This committee helps early childhood professionals understand and embrace play-based learning through professional development ses- sions based on the work of play expert Dr. Walter Drew. Gaye Gronlund is an experienced practitioner. She is an early childhood education consultant and author who formerly taught preschool and kindergarten in both regular and special education programs. Her writing and professional development sessions focus on play-based curriculum, observational assessment, and early learning standards. She is well known for her emphasis on practical suggestions regarding best practices, helping teachers do what is truly best for young children. PLAY AND STANDARDS CAN GO TOGETHER COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 3 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Throughout this book, we will engage in conversations from our differing perspectives and invite readers to join us in considering different aspects of fully embracing play in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Parts 1, 2, and 4 begin with our thoughts about provocative questions, from both a policy-making and teaching perspective. By focusing on these two perspectives, we hope we can offer support and ideas to multiple audiences, including administrators and policy makers as well as classroom teachers. WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS BOOK Early in the writing of this book, we read Stuart Brown’s important book, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, in which he explores the topic from the point of view of a physician (2009). In it, Brown shares the groundbreak- ing work of Scott Eberle, editor of the American Journal of Play, and his six steps in the cycle of play (later published in 2014): • • • • • • Anticipation—expectation, wonder, curiosity, anxiety, uncertainty, risk Surprise—discovery, new sensations or ideas, new perspectives Pleasure—it feels good Understanding—new knowledge, application of ideas Strength—empowerment, confidence, new skills Poise—grace, contentment, composure, and sense of balance (ready for a nticipation again) We have organized this book in four parts based on Eberle’s model. Part 1: Anticipation In chapters 1 and 2, we set the stage, asking questions about play and its proper definition. We show how play actually helps build healthy brains. We show the value of child-directed, open-ended play experiences and the importance of teacher support to enhance such play. In chapter 3, we look at the purposes, design, and implementation of early learning stan- dards for preschoolers and Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten. We address facts and misconceptions regarding both. 4 Introduction COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Part 2: Surprise and Pleasure In chapter 4, we show how clearer understanding of play and the purposes of standards leads to new perspectives on teaching and to experiences of gratification, enjoyment, delight, and contentment not only for children but also for teachers and administrators. Linking play and standards, then, becomes a fun and more rewarding way to teach. In chapter 5, we explore ways to ensure that play is part of the classroom experience for all children regardless of abilities, cultural or linguistic backgrounds, or other individual differences. Part 3: Understanding and Strength True understanding is taking ideas and applying them in the real world across a variety of settings and situations. Chapters 6 through 12 go deeper with specific suggestions and examples for addressing standards through play experiences in seven domains. Part 4: Poise In our final chapters, we hope to leave readers with a sense of confidence by grounding their renewed commitment to play in strong reflection and assessment practices. In chap- ter 13, we look at how linking play and standards affects assessment. In chapter 14, we offer strategies for advocacy: promoting both play and standards within the context of account- ability systems, school reform, and other pressures related to push-down academics. EMPHASIS ON THE PRACTICAL AND THE DOABLE Our goal throughout the book is to help early childhood professionals feel supported in their efforts to protect play in their programs. Our target audience is anyone who works on behalf of young children in any kind of early childhood program. We recognize that there are many professional roles in the early childhood field, including family child care pro- viders, educators, teachers, paraprofessionals, directors, administrators, principals, and policy makers. For the sake of consistency, we use the terms “teacher” and “administrator” to describe early childhood professionals. We strongly believe that embracing play as the most effective strategy to bring about meaningful learning is the right thing to do for young children. When teachers, adminis- trators, and children are in sync, preschool and kindergarten classrooms are more joyful places for all. We sincerely believe that everyone benefits! PLAY AND STANDARDS CAN GO TOGETHER COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 5 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET PART 1 ANTICIPATION CHAPTERS 1 THROUGH 3 The first three chapters of Saving Play come under the first step in Scott Eberle’s cycle of play: Anticipation. Eberle (2014) describes this stage as including these three elements: • expectation • wonder • curiosity We have all seen children’s delight as new toys, materials, or games are introduced, whether by adults or by other children. They express excitement, interest, and curiosity as they anticipate playing with something or someone new. We hope children’s delight in- spires wonder in you, the readers, and makes you wonder about what will be offered in the exploration of play and standards in this book. And we hope you will be delighted with the ideas we offer. Our intent is to give you information, support, and strategies for integrating the best ways that young children learn with the expectations that standards define. In his description of anticipation, Eberle also includes these elements: • anxiety • uncertainty • risk When trying anything new, most people feel some discomfort. They are outside the familiar and have to accommodate to new thinking or new ways of doing something. We hope the uncertainty we introduce will be at just the right level of challenge so that as early childhood professionals you can consider the questions posed and find solutions that will work in your programs. In chapter 1, we explore definitions of play and the value of child-directed, open-ended play experiences. In chapter 2, we look more closely at the role of the teacher in this kind of play. And in chapter 3, we delve into early learning standards and the Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten, identifying those standards, considering some of the miscon- ceptions that are circulating about them, and beginning the task of integrating them with child-directed, open-ended play. 7 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET CHAPTER  1 The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences PROVOCATIVE QUESTION: What is play? Tom: The Administrator’s Perspective The difficulty of defining play was brought home to me when I served on the NAEYC governing board. For a number of years, the board and the association had wrestled with developing a position statement on play, and some on the board were impatient with the progress. The reasons for developing the position statement were similar to our purposes here: valuing play as a central asset in the growth and development of young children. One of the staff members showed us a draft version and said part of the holdup was getting a common agreement on a definition of play. They had to define it before they could write about it. That turned out to be a lot harder than any- one anticipated. Gaye: The Practitioner’s Perspective In my work as a preschool and kindergarten teacher and as a consultant to early childhood educators, I have seen many types of play in action. I am convinced that some play experiences are more beneficial for children than others. In defining play, I think we have to recognize the different types of play. Then we can help teachers set the stage for beneficial play, facilitate it as it occurs, and identify appropriate learning goals and standards that can be linked to beneficial play experiences. EVERYONE PLAYS Play is a universal phenomenon. Everyone everywhere—all cultures, all ages—plays. It is not just a human activity. Animals play too. Play is a natural state of being and adds a certain spice to life. In the middle of serious work, an adult may pause to make a joke, act silly, doodle, or throw a crumpled piece of paper into a trash can. Teenagers are known for “goofing off.” They hang with friends to relax from the pressures of schooling and 8 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET organized sports or other activities, to laugh and act childish as they face the daunting task of growing up. Children in the elementary school years spontaneously organize games on playgrounds or in neighborhoods, arguing about rules and relishing the opportunity to use their skills in throwing, catching, or chasing. From seven to eight years of age and on into the teenage years, children strategize at card and board games or challenge each other in video game battles. Young children delight in play experiences throughout their early years. Babies find their toes fascinating playthings. Toddlers bang wooden spoons in pots, relishing the noise and the imitation of their loved ones cooking. Preschoolers dress up in hats and capes and boots with no purpose other than to pretend to be someone different. Kindergartners organize themselves so that a complex block structure can be completed with a symmet- rical design in mind. A preschool or kindergarten child also takes moments of play and turns them toward a serious purpose, such as when a young girl matches picture cards in a memory game. She uses her visual discrimination skills to analyze each picture and her memory skills to find the match. If she is playing with another child or an adult, she may be conversing about the animals or shapes on the cards and increasing her oral vocabulary. People do not need to be instructed on how to do things like this. Play is a natural way for adults to change the mental tasks in which they are engaged, to take a break from the drudgery of everyday chores, and to make life more pleasant. It is the natural way for chil- dren to explore and investigate the world, learning the marvels of nature and how things work, to experience the joy of pretend and the limitless bounds of their imaginations, and to use their muscles, senses, and brains. SUPPORT FOR PLAY Many people take play very seriously. In the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by almost every country in the world in 1990 (though, unfor- tunately, not by the United States), Article 31 reads: States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. This is a powerful statement. No country can write laws or put into practice policies that take away children’s right to play. A key principle in the position statement on “Developmentally Appropriate Practice” from NAEYC reads: The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 9 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for promoting lan- guage, cognition, and social competence. (Copple and Bredekamp 2009, 14) In fact, the word play appears thirty-eight times in the thirty-two-page statement. NAEYC and the Division for Early Childhood (Council for Exceptional Children) also include the importance of play in other position statements (which can be accessed at www.naeyc.org /positionstatements and www.dec-sped.org/papers). Many organizations that focus on young people recognize that play is important be- cause it does so many beneficial things for children. That is why the threat to children’s opportunities to play must be taken very seriously. We must save play. DEFINING PLAY Defining play is not a simple task. The definition needs to strike the right balance and not be too broad or too narrow. To consider whatever children are doing as playful and impor­ tant is too broad. To view play as trivial or a mere distraction from the important stuff of life is too narrow. In this book, our definition includes observable characteristics of play that are beneficial to children’s development. We consider whether all play is equally valuable, identify different types of play, and determine how they contribute to children’s learning. While we show multiple characteristics and types of play, our focus is on child-di- rected, open-ended play. When you look up the definition of play in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, you have to proceed down to the third definition before finding something relevant for this book: Play: “recreational activity; esp the spontaneous activity of children.” Three words are important in this definition: spontaneous, recreational, and activity. Spontaneous: Play is not an assigned task. It often begins as an unplanned experience on the part of the player. What occurs is impromptu and unrehearsed. Recreational: Play is about creating and re-creating. It is also about recreation, amuse- ment, and diversion. It is not only about making and doing things; it is also about relaxation and enjoyment. Activity: Activity is crucial. When play occurs, things are happening. 10 Chapter 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Because of its emphasis on fun and experimentation, play promotes a “growth mind- set.” Carol Dweck (2006) makes a strong case for the value of the growth mind-set over the fixed mind-set. The growth mind-set views one’s personal abilities as something that can always be improved. The fixed mind-set sees personal abilities as limited. Dweck ar- gues that only with the growth mind-set can a person actually do more than he or she, or others (peers and teachers), thought possible. Her extensive research finds that determin- ing one’s mind-set, as either “growth” or “fixed,” is a strong predictor of future success. When play becomes an avenue for low-risk experimentation, children’s abilities inevitably grow. Play allows children to accomplish things outside a high-stakes pass/fail situation. Furthermore, play presents children with a bias toward action, and action teaches just how much each can do. The Properties of Play We think giving one all-encompassing definition to play is limiting. Play is complicated and hard to define because so many different kinds of human behavior could be charac- terized as play. We want to encourage early childhood educators to become observers and investigators of the phenomenon of play. When observing play, we encourage adults to ask themselves: what is this experience doing to children’s thinking, feeling, and behavior? In his book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Stuart Brown (2009) does not provide a clear definition of play. Instead, he de- scribes seven properties that make play unique from other types of human activities or experiences: • Play is apparently purposeless (done for its own sake, not for survival or practical value). • Play is voluntary (not required). • It has inherent attraction (it’s fun; play makes you feel good). • It provides freedom from time (when fully engaged, we lose sense of the passage of time). • We experience diminished consciousness of self (we stop thinking about whether we look good or stupid; we are fully in the moment). • It has improvisational potential (we aren’t locked into rigid ways of doing things; we see things in a different way). • It provides a continuation desire (the pleasure of the experience makes us find ways to keep it going; we want to do it again). (Brown 2009, 17–18) The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 11 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Here is an example of a play experience that shows many of these properties in action: Two five-year-old girls decided to play school. They turned over storage containers and called them desks. They brought chairs, papers, and books over to their desks. Each got her backpack from her cubby and pulled out various school supplies. Once they had all of their materials set, they sat quietly, opening their books and turning the pages. They used their pencils to scribble across papers. At one point, one of the girls looked at the other and said, “Time for recess!” They left their desks and went running around the house area together, giggling and laughing. Then they returned to their desks. The other girl said, “Time for lunch!” They pretended to take out their lunchboxes and eat their food together. This pretend play went on for twenty minutes. Which of the properties of play do you see illustrated in this play scenario? Defining Play as Child Directed and Open Ended We are defining play as child directed and open ended. Such play can include all seven properties identified earlier. It is the high-level play in which learning is deeper and more sophisticated. • The child-directed quality is apparently purposeless, fun, self-perpetuating, and, most obviously, voluntary. • The open-ended quality encourages improvisation and creativity, and frees the player to lose himself and not be conscious of time. We see this as authentic play. Child-directedness reminds teachers that play arises from what the child wants to do and not just from what the teacher wants the child to do. If the teacher is involved, it is as inviter, cheerleader, and supporter. Open-endedness encour- ages teachers to choose materials and play opportunities so that children have many pos- sibilities. Children with a variety of skills and differing understandings can be successful in a variety of ways as they engage in open-ended play experiences. While chaotic and simplistic play can also be child directed and open ended, chances are its abilities to really capture a child’s interest for the long term are minimal. 12 Chapter 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET “Apparently Purposeless” on Purpose Some readers may be troubled by the idea of play being “apparently purposeless.” We are aware that teachers are encouraged to be intentional about all they do. Outside pressures and expectations deem that classroom time is too short for anything that does not have “purpose.” Remember that Brown (2009) says play has apparent purposelessness. In other words, a child’s reason for engaging in play may be purely for fun, but she cannot stop the learning that occurs while she plays. What we describe in this book is how teachers can observe and understand play so they can see the learning purposes even if the children do not. Play as purposeless should be a reminder to be open to a variety of purposes that may emerge during play or be realized only later in reflection. Here is an example: A child may place a toy truck on top of a block tower. The truck rolls off and falls to the ground. That leads the child to figure out what blocks might be added to keep the truck from rolling off the tower. He may create a ramp. He may begin to push the truck around on the floor. Or the child may leave the truck alone and continue to build the tower. The child is following his inclination. All the options are possible. All lead to more play. What determines which option the child selects? Watching, it all seems aimless and accidental. Yet there is a purpose. THE BENEFITS OF PLAY Early educators as well as professionals from other fields recognize the many benefits of purposeful, complex play for young children. Research studies and position statements link high-level play to gains in cognitive learning and academic achievement, to physical health, to social-­emotional development, and to the development of approaches to learn- ing. In Individualized Child-Focused Curriculum (Gronlund 2016), Gaye shares the follow- ing bene­fits of play recognized by various professionals: • Connections are made to greater academic achievement in the primary grades for children who engage in child-initiated, productive play in the preschool years (Copple and Bredekamp 2009). • Physical and mental health experts advocate for increased play opportunities for children and warn of dire consequences as children become more sedentary and as kindergartens become less playful (Ginsburg 2007; Miller and Almon 2009). The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 13 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Here is a list of additional research support for the benefits of play: • Play positively affects cognitive development, language and literacy, social skills, and the expression of emotions (Rogers and Sawyers 1988). • A strong association exists between play and self-regulation (Elias and Berk 2002). • High-functioning play is significantly associated with prosocial behavior, motiva- tion to learn, task persistence, and autonomy (Fantuzzo and McWayne 2002). • There are connections between play and basic literacy skills and creative problem solving (Zigler, Singer, and Bishop-Josef 2004). • Elena Bodrova and Deborah Leong (2003) identified five specific characteristics of “mature play” (imaginary situations, multiple roles, clearly defined rules, flex- ible themes, extensive use of language and long and elaborate play time) they found effective in increasing literacy and enhancing executive function (see also Diamond et al. 2007). Stuart Brown (2009) summarizes the identified benefits in two categories: effects on the brain and rehearsal for life. Let’s consider these two categories in more depth. Effects on the Brain When the brain is very young, every experience is an opportunity for the brain to wire together synaptic connections. The science related to brain development over the past fifty years has shown that the quality of those experiences directly determines the nature of the connections. The number and complexity of those connections literally make the brain what it is. When children’s brains are engaged in high-level play, they are stimulated to grow and develop in healthy ways (Brown 2009). When children engage in purposeful, rich play experiences, their neural connections grow stronger and more plentiful. Active play has been found to stimulate neural growth in both the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex, which lies imme- diately behind the forehead, is active during planning, personality expression, decision making, and the moderation of social behavior. It is the heart of executive function and is what some term as the brain’s control tower. As children become deeply engaged in meaningful play, they are developing executive functions, which Ellen Galinsky describes as “the brain functions we use to manage our attention, our emotions, and our behavior in pursuit of our goals. . . . Executive functions predict children’s success as well as—if not better than—IQ tests” (Galinsky 2012, 14). 14 Chapter 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Meanwhile, the amygdala plays the main function in processing memory, emotional reaction, and, like the prefrontal cortex, decision making (Pessoa 2013). Isn’t it interest- ing that these different parts of the brain—memory and emotional reaction—are both necessary for making decisions? In their book Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2013) write that it is the connec- tions between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala that build true emotional intelli- gence. Play is a way to exercise both of these parts of the brain simultaneously. Play stimulates brain development, even in lower primates, whose brains are much less plastic than those of humans. It is good for all parts of the brain: not just the part that makes one smart, but the parts that make one remember past experiences, control impulses, and feel happy. Rehearsal for Life The second category of benefits Brown identifies relates to the function of play as a rehearsal for life. Through play, we can pretend to be or do something before we actually have to do it in real life. This helps us live successful lives. Evolutionary biologists say it helps us survive (Wenner 2009). Some zoologists studying mountain goats noticed that the young goats (kids) played rough-and-tumble games along the edges of very steep cliffs (Brown 2009). These are dangerous games indeed because the kids may misstep and fall to their death. They are having fun, but they are also rehearsing the sure-footedness they will need when they are trying to outrun a coyote or mountain lion. Fun, yes, but also a matter of life and death. For humans, play becomes a way to fantasize about what might be. Children pretend to be mommies and daddies, taking care of babies, preparing meals, and going off to work. They practice adult roles such as firefighters, cashiers, and teachers. Young children love to engage in superhero play as a way to pretend to be powerful, fearless, and consequen- tial. Such play helps them say, “I matter,” and emerges at a time when they sometimes feel weak, scared, and ignored in the adult world. Playing what they are not is a way to become what they want to be. Through pretend, children can address fears and traumatic situations in their lives. Play provides a safe place to address strong feelings, to relive frightening moments, and to come to some sort of resolution. Play is also a way to learn how the world works. Observe a child playing intently at a sensory table. You may see him become mesmerized by the pattern the small rake makes as he drags it across the sand or by the effects of a single drop of water squeezed from an eyedropper as it hits the pool. Such exploration helps curiosity bloom into experimenta- tion. Young children are scientific investigators from the earliest ages. The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 15 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Children are such curious creatures. They explore, question, and wonder, and by doing so, learn. . . . For too many children, curiosity fades. Curiosity dimmed is a future denied. Our potential—emotional, social, and cognitive—is expressed through the quantity and quality of our experiences. And the less-curious child will make fewer new friends, join fewer social groups, read fewer books, and take fewer hikes. The less-curious child is harder to teach because he is harder to inspire, enthuse, and motivate. (Perry 2001, 1) As a rehearsal for life, play gives children opportunities to put their existing knowledge and skills into practice. Play opens the door to endless possibilities for applying knowledge in new ways and to new situations, or to practice key skills—like balancing on a beam or writing one’s name—over and over again. Children in preschool and kindergarten are “learning to be learners.” The better learn- ers they become the more successful they will be in their K–12 careers. They are “rehears- ing” for their life as students in elementary, secondary, and higher education settings. Research is showing more connections between the development of effective approaches to learning in the early years and later academic achievement. CONCLUSION It’s hard to capture the complexity of play in a single phrase or sentence. Identifying the properties of play and considering the many benefits of play help show how important play is in human development. In chapter 2, we explore the importance of teacher involvement in play and the many roles adults can engage in with children in play. 16 Chapter 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Implementation Ideas for Teachers: THE VALUE OF OPEN-ENDED PLAY Reflect about a time you observed children at play. Consider the following questions: 1. How many of the seven properties we have identified were evident? 2. Were the children playing purely for the pleasure of the experience and not for a more defined purpose? 3. Was the play freely chosen? 4. Did they lose themselves in the play? 5. Did it last long? 6. What kinds of things might an adult do to support the child’s play? Practical Considerations for Administrators: THE VALUE OF OPEN-ENDED PLAY Take the time to converse about play with the teachers in your program. Ask them the following questions: 1. What memories do you have of playing when you were a child? What kinds of activities did you engage in? What do you think you were learning when you played? 2. How would you define play? 3. How much time in your daily schedule is devoted to child-directed, open- ended play indoors? 4. What benefits do you see resulting from children having opportunities to play? The Value of Child-Directed, Open-Ended Play Experiences COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 17 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Early Childhood / Education & Teaching / Play / Curriculum Play, academics, and standards can work together The increase in standards-based education should be a reason to embed more, not less, play-based learning in early childhood classrooms. Become a strong advocate for saving play in preschool and kindergarten by integrating play and standards, and learn how child-led, open-ended play addresses the domains of child development and Common Core State Standards. Saving Play is full of research, resources, and practical knowledge that link academic learning and play experiences—giving you the right strategies to take an active role and help restore play as a fun and educational part of early childhood classrooms. “A timely survival guide. This wonderfully challenging, readable book invites us to sharpen our perceptions of a whole range of state and national standards and to share responsibility for explaining them to teachers and parents and the public. As a standards-resister myself, I’ve just been won over. Read this book!” — Elizabeth Jones, faculty emerita, Pacific Oaks College, author of The Play’s the Thing and Playing to Get Smart “A brilliant piece of work! Rendon and Gronlund have set the foundation for putting play right at the heart of the curriculum and high-quality professional development like no other book I have read!” — Walter F. Drew, EdD, founder and executive director of the Institute for Self Active Education, board member for the Association for the Study of Play “Saving Play is a delightful book written by an administrator and a practitioner—a great combination. Playful learning is essential to helping children think, learn, and remember. Bravo for bringing these important ideas to life!” — Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD, University of Delaware, and author of Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us about Raising Successful Children Gaye Gronlund, MA, is a nationally recognized consultant and author who works with early childhood programs across the country. Gaye is the author of Individualized Child-Focused Curriculum, Focused Observations, second edition, and Making Early Learning Standards Come Alive, second edition. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Thomas Rendon is the coordinator of the Iowa Head Start State Collaboration Office and an active supporter of policy to promote play at a state level. ISBN 978-1-60554-530-1 $34.95