If you are a play-based educator you are often having to field the question: What is my child learning as they play?
It's tough to encapsulate in a concise response because they are learning quite a lot!
When children are turning 4 and 5 years old, the pressure mounts to have them be able to read, write, and do "school" work.
We know that our classrooms are set up to foster a love of literacy from the moment the children enter. There are always books to read in a cozy designated space, environmental print around the classroom to notice, play dough or other sensory materials that invite little hands to squeeze, grasp, and manipulate in different ways, all of which strengthens the small muscles of their hands to be able to hold a pencil later on. There are songs to sing together and fingerplays to learn, which aid children in noticing patterns in language. Children make up nonsensical rhymes, stories, and jokes. We have rich discussions about books and life. All of this is play AND language development, which in turn supports literacy development.
It's hard to notice and value these precursors to learning how to read and write when most of us had traditional schooling. We were drilled on letters and had to complete worksheets where we practiced writing our name over and over. When my daughter was three years old she learned how to write her name in school. C-h-a-r-l-o-t-t-e, nine whole letters! I was as proud as can be, but then she said, "I'm TIRED of writing my name! Why do I have to keep doing this?" It gave me pause and a time to self-reflect.
Of course I felt proud as a parent that she learned to write her name. I realized I was even prouder that she questioned the value of rote writing. She reminded me that school can actually derail children's natural interest in reading and writing.
I knew then to back off and follow her lead instead.
This is what we are up against, a world where achieving something earlier is deemed better, and all children have to learn the same things in the same way at the same time. This is unfortunate, because when we facilitate learning rather than force it we will see that children are more motivated and interested. When we look for signs of readiness to support, rather than being tethered to some artificial timetable of prescribed learning, then children will continue to love learning. In fact, when children are ready and interested, we will not be able to stop them from learning!
The photo above is of a 4-year-old child whose interest in literacy exploded, almost overnight. We have to trust that all of the "seeds" are there ready to germinate, because we have provided all of the precursors mentioned above and are continuing to model how useful and fun literacy is in our own lives. We must allow children to form their own relationship with literacy. We have to value all mark making from scribbles to identifiable letters and words. There is no finish line and no prize to be won for being first. There is only a lifelong journey, one that belongs to each of us.
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