One of the ways traditional schools are failing children is the lack of daily unstructured time for play.
While most schools have recess, it’s not long enough.
In Canada, schools tend to have two 15-minute recess blocks (morning and afternoon) and a 30-minute block after lunch.
Research suggests that it can take children up to 45-minutes of creative play to develop a play scheme.
This includes making a plan, adapting the plan and seeing it unfold.
While it is more common for Kindergarten children to experience longer blocks of play time, most children six-years and older do not.
Play is a critical part of learning for ALL children (and adults too . . . see our Jouer! offering below ⇩)
Regardless of a person’s age, play supports . . .
- Physical Development: Fine and gross motor skills, bone and muscle strength, balance, coordination, and cardio-vascular function
- Cognitive Development: Creativity, imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving, memory, attention, and engagement
- Social Development: Communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, collaboration, active listening, and resilience
- Emotional Development: self-esteem, confidence, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and mental health and well-being
At Walnut Forest Academy, play is woven throughout the day.
What we’ve noticed is that children often integrate aspects of what they’ve been learning in more structured lessons as part of their creative play.
This is where we see the magic happening!