Glen Education Bentleigh East

Time for  Play

Educational Team, Glen Bentleigh Kindergarten

A first thought comes to mind which is “the time we spend with children is to help them become lifelong learners!”  Because we believe that every second, we spend with children should be worthy of their time. However, as professionals who spend a lifetime noticing, recognising, responding, planning, reflecting, and embedding, the question can go much deeper than the thought of “time.” The question can revolve around “what do we do, so that children are able to spend their time to nurture their learning. One word which we all agree on, and encompasses many facets of learning, is the word “PLAY!” 

For children, “play” is the essence of all learning. The phrase, “children learn through play” is undoubtably not overrated. Monash University, in 2019, even launched a major research project called the Conceptual PlayLab – a five-year investigation into how ‘play-based’ education can deliver essential cognitive and learning outcomes for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in STEM.

 ( monash.edu/conceptual-playworld/home.) 

We pose our question. “What do we do when children are at Kindergarten to make their time worthy?” We use all our knowledge, our qualifications, intentional teaching, our philosophies, recognition of events, engagement and our deep respect for families and their influences, children’s strengths, and interests, and combine them all, to create an environment that fosters children’s participation in play. We do all this so that every moment spent at kindergarten promotes participation through their play, enriches their learning and their ability to explore and support their self-direction and sense of agency. The lessons children learn through play are transferrable to their broader life. Play encourages persistence, which is the essence for success, it promotes the ability to stay focused and encourages finding enjoyment in learning. When we enjoy what we do, our learning is positive and fulfilling. 

The question, “What is worthy of children’s time? “The answer is “play!” Our dedication as teachers of children and our continuous quest, is to be able to create the ultimate environment and teaching at kindergarten, so that children can learn all they need to know in life through their play. Albert Einstein himself, summed it all up when he said, “play is the highest form of research!”