In Support of Children’s Play

by Molly Gareis

“Will my child be ready for Kindergarten?” As a preschool director in a school that embraces a learning through play philosophy, this is one of the most common questions I am asked by prospective parents. In this day and age of standards and a continued push down of the curriculum, it is not surprising that parents of preschoolers are feeling pressure and want to make sure their children will be as thoroughly prepared as possible for their entrance into formal schooling that comes with Kindergarten.

I am happy to say that my answer is a resounding and enthusiastic YES!

After their years with us at Co-op, our students enter Kindergarten fully prepared for success as Kindergarteners and well beyond. The firm foundation built at Co-op during these formative years prepares children not just for school success, but to become nothing short of life-long learners. How does this happen in a preschool that embraces play as its’ primary mode of teaching? It happens as naturally as the sun rises each morning.

We believe that the preschool years are a sacred time in a child’s life. It is a time of unprecedented growth and learning. It is a time when the world is unfolding before your children in all its glory each and every day. It is a time of discovery and of abundant curiosity. It is a time when children naturally learn about the world through their play. When children are provided with rich, play-based preschool experiences, their learning is deep, natural, organic, and instinctive. When preschool children are presented with an adult-selected academic curriculum, their learning tends to be more narrow and superficial. It makes me think of the difference between natural and organic choices versus processed and packaged choices.

It is through play that creative thinking, cognitive structures, and problem-solving skills are developed. It is through play that children safely try on and explore different adult roles and work through complex emotions. It is through play that children experience genuine delight in learning about the world around them. It is through play that children begin to make predictions about, test, and discover the natural world. When children learn this way, the lessons learned build a foundation for life-long learning and independent thinking. When children are able to make their own discoveries under the nurturing eye of a Co-op teacher or parent, they learn that the world is waiting to be discovered and studied. Learning is a naturally joyful and rewarding experience!

Inherent to the Co-op philosophy is distinguishing between “intellectual learning” and “academic learning.” Intellectual and academic learning are terms that are often confused. Intellectual learning refers to stimulating the mind, enriching one’s world through a wide variety of experiences, building cognitive structures, and developing a deep sense of conceptual learning as the concepts that are “played” with relate to real life. On the other hand, academic learning refers to learning that has a more specific and narrow goal in mind and can often be measured in concrete ways, such as with a paper and pencil task. There comes a time in every child’s life when academic learning is appropriate. This usually happens at about the time they enter Kindergarten around ages 5-6, but, even at that point, intellectual learning, socialization, and play should still be the focus of education.

The intellectual learning that takes place at Co-op provides the solid base a children need in order to be successful in the formal academic tasks that lie ahead in elementary school. When academic lessons are taught to preschool children, they are often focused on a topic that has been selected by an adult. Of course, children may learn the required material, but rarely do they internalize it. On the other hand, when preschool children are given the opportunity to learn through their own play and discovery, what is learned will be internalized and used to strengthen their base of intellectual learning. Therefore, when children are developmentally ready for formal academic tasks, the intellectual base and the love of learning are firmly in place and ready to serve them for the rest of their lives.

Vivian Paley, who writes extensively on the benefits of learning through play for children, once stated that preschool should be a study in play and that Kindergarten should be graduate work in play. Many of us are concerned with the push down of the curriculum which is requiring young children to do more and more academic work at earlier and earlier ages. At Co-op we are dedicated to preserving play for children during this extraordinary time in their lives.

Of course our play at Co-op is carefully scaffolded to meet children’s social/emotional, cognitive, and physical needs. We know exactly what concepts, skills, and lessons we are teaching with each of our play, art, literacy, and music activities. We know where we want to guide children and what our goals for them are at each age and stage. There are hours of planning and behind-the-scenes work as teachers decide what activities will be most enriching and beneficial for children. However, we want this to appear effortless to the children and for them to delight in their own discoveries and natural learning. We want children to grow in their love of school and their love of learning.

Co-op has been successfully preparing children for Kindergarten for over 40 years. As a former elementary school teacher with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a mother of three Co-op “graduates”, I can say without any hesitation that Co-op children are fantastically well-prepared for Kindergarten. When children start their school careers in an environment where learning happens for the pure joy of learning and not just to please adults, they develop a love of learning and an intellectual curiosity that lasts a lifetime.

One Day 2’s Teacher – Molly Gareis
I knew from a very young age that my life would be dedicated to teaching and working with children and families. I babysat all through middle school, high school, and college before graduating and earning my Virginia teaching license from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. I began my career as a classroom teacher in the Williamsburg-James City County Public School System teaching children in grades 8, 6, and 3. After my tenure with WJC Schools, I spent the next eleven years as a stay-at-home Mom with my son and two daughters. As a parent, contributing to the education of children remained a part of who I am. For eight consecutive years I was fortunate enough to be a Co-op parent. I loved working in my own children’s classes and I grew by serving alongside the amazing Co-op teachers. During this time I read constantly about child development and parenting, and, eventually I went back to Old Dominion University and earned my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. My husband, Chris, is currently Associate Dean in the School of Education at the College of William and Mary, but he spent many years as a classroom teacher and as a school principal. We are both dedicated to our own children and to our careers in education. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to teach at Co-op and be surrounded on a daily basis by such wonderful children, families, and teachers.

Children are my passion, and it is my hope that as a Co-op teacher, I will be able to give back some of the invaluable gifts that I have received over the years from Co-op.

She can be contacted at The Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool
St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
1333 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
757-229-3407
http://www.williamsburgpreschool.com/index.cfm