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https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/child-s-play-isn-t-just-child-s-play-it/article_54d209b0-
bc82-11e8-88ae-033983306649.html
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Child's play isn't just child's play. It's so crucial, it's now a
prescription.
BY ALEXIS HAMBY 14 hrs ago
Splattered with orange and pink paint, two paint trays lie unattended during playtime on Wednesday at the Atelier
School of Creative Learning. The Atelier School of Creative Learning is a play-based preschool, where students can
choose to do a variety of activities throughout their school day.
DEREK RIEKE/MISSOURIAN
Kira Mack’s son is the only 5-year-old she knows who has no
What is play? idea how to use an iPad. But she wouldn’t have it any other
The new report on the way.
importance of playtime from
Academy of American
And when Anderson came home messy from preschool, she
Pediatrics discusses play
Object play is when “If he’s exhausted and filthy, it was a good day,” said Mack,
a child examines an who sees his messiness as a sign that he boosted his
object and
understands its creativity, problem-solving and social skills.
characteristics. This
play can develope a The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees with Mack’s
child's
assessment of the benefits of play. The Academy
"communication,
language and recommends that pediatricians prescribe playtime at every
abstract thought."
checkup for children under age 2 in a new report released in
Physical, locomotor
or rough-and- August. It emphasizes playtime with infants because
tumble play is seen
children’s brains develop substantially right after birth.
in pat-a-cake games
with infants and free
play in toddlers and
“Play facilitates the progression from dependence to
children during independence and from parental regulation to self-
school recess. These
"foundational motor
regulation,” the report states.
skills" are crucial in
"promoting an active The Academy’s report called the definition of play “elusive”
lifestyle and the
but described it as “an activity that is intrinsically motivated,
prevention of
obesity." entails active engagement, and results in joyful discovery.”
Outdoor play can
enhance "sensory The typical preschooler watches 4.5 hours of television per
integration skills." For
day, according to the report, which said that regular use of
children actively
participating, it can technology can create a habit of passivity in children, hinder
develop "motor,
their development of social skills and increase their risk of
cognitive, social and
linguistic skills." obesity.
Social or pretend
play alone or with One in five children in the U.S. is obese, a rate that has more
others is when
children explore than tripled since the 1970s, the CDC reported in January.
different "social roles"
in an imaginative way. The child who misses out on playtime misses opportunities
This play can
to development problem solving skills, said Amy Williams, a
enhance a child's
negotiation and family physician and assistant professor at the MU School of
cooperation skills.
Medicine. Play, said Williams, is “the natural work of
children.”
Isaiah Gurantz, 2, pours water into a bowl of pink paint before mixing
the solution with a bowl of water and orange paint on Wednesday at
The Atelier School of Creative Learning. Kara Hook, the co-owner of
the school, said that students are currently learning about primary
and secondary colors. Many students recognize these colors outside
of the classroom, and also know how mix paint to make them.
DEREK RIEKE/MISSOURIAN
Parents get shamed for letting their kids play in fenced yards
without constant supervision, she said. When she grew up,
she was given much more responsibility than kids have now.
“We have to always look over our shoulders about what other
people think about our parenting,” she said. “There’s no way
my mom worried about that when she raised me.”
Like Goade, Mack also feels that if she left Anderson alone
outside, other parents might think of her as neglectful.
“Now parents say, ‘Lock the door and stay inside,’ partly
because parents are at work,” she said. “They are not
available to help or keep an occasional eye out for the
children playing outside. It’s unfortunate.”
Owen Lynn, 1, sways to the beat of the music while parents and
teachers sang "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" on Wednesday at The
Atelier School of Creative Learning. The inside of the school is
divided into three sections: one where students sing, dance and do
yoga; another where students draw and paint; and finally where
students play without restriction. They also have an outdoor
classroom located behind the building.
DEREK RIEKE/MISSOURIAN
said.
DEREK RIEKE/MISSOURIAN
home.”
“I think this can hold back a lot of day cares because parents
have the expectation to pick up a clean and happy child,” she
said. “I believe the exact opposite.”
these things have always been out there, it’s just more well
known,” she said. “There’s a spotlight on it, so people are
more protective than they ever have been.”
“The parks are so enjoyable,” she said. “They are smaller and
safer. It’s easily monitored.”
“With the trails and parks we have here,” she said, “there is
certainly more we can do to promote play for healthy
children.”
Alexis Hamby
Fall 2018 public safety and health reporter. I am a junior studying investigative journalism.