International Day of Play
Happy International Day of Play! At both our Rocket Productions Pre-Preps and The Rocket House, we deeply value the power of play and continuously research the best ways for children to learn. So, what’s so important about play, you ask?
As Maria Montessori said, "Play is the work of children".
🧠 Scientific Insights: Research from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child and the LEGO Foundation shows that play is crucial for healthy brain and child development. During the critical early years, children experience vast growth across cognitive, social, emotional, and physical domains.
Why did Albert Einstein once said “play is the highest form of research”?: Engaging in play stimulates critical neural pathways, enhancing the ability to form and reorganise synaptic connections, which are essential for learning and memory. Factors like adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, and rich play opportunities significantly shape this development. Did you know that by age 5, a child’s brain is already about 90% of its adult size? Can you see now why play is so important?
🌏 A Holistic Approach to Learning: Play encourages holistic development, where physical, cognitive, social, and emotional learning are interconnected. It’s the natural way children make sense of the world around them and discover their own identities!
🌱 Emotional and Social Growth: Through play, children develop emotional intelligence and learn to forge social bonds and navigate friendships. Play fosters intrinsic motivation by allowing children to experience autonomy as they take risks, iterate, adapt and share with others.
🚀 Preparation for the Future: Play equips children with foundational skills in language, literacy, and numeracy, ensuring they are ready for school but also for adapting to a rapidly changing world. In play, children cultivate critical 21st-century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.
🌟 Joy and Exploration: At its heart, play preserves the joy and wonder of childhood. It helps build strong memory connections, fosters emotional well-being by releasing ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters, cultivating a lifelong love of learning and curiosity.
👀 Some quotes we love:
“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” -J. L. H. Jr
”The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” -C.J
”Play is the exultation of the possible.” -M.B
Looking for playful ways to support your child's learning at home? Contact us or book one of The Rocket House qualified teachers and tutors to inspire and mentor your child beyond the classroom!
