Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.
– Abraham Maslow

Elizabeth Jones, in an article that’s part of the Exchange Essentials article collection “Play Into Practice,” wrote these important words:

“The spontaneous play of young children is their highest achievement. In their play, children invent the world for themselves and create a place for themselves in it. They are re-creating their pasts and imagining their futures, while grounding themselves in the reality and fantasy of their lives here-and-now. (Jones and Reynolds, 1992, p. 129)

“Children at play are constructing their individual identities as well as their knowledge of the world.”

Unfortunately, “Increased political and cultural pressure for early academic performance has contributed to the loss of play in early childhood,” as Heather Bernt-Santy writes in her article, “Academic Pushdown,” part of “The Child’s Right to Play,” The International Play Association USA 50th Anniversary White Paper.

In the conclusion to her article, Bernt-Santy offers these recommendations to help counteract the effects of academic pushdown:

• IPA-USA and other organized play advocates should develop agreed-upon definitions of “play” and “learning” that are developmentally informed for children birth to 8 years old.
• Alternatives to state early childhood standards should be developed for developmentally informed support of math, literacy, science, movement, social and emotional development.
• Kindergarten Readiness should be formally defined, focusing on developing executive function skills and developmentally responsive kindergartens.
• Claims of “evidence base” should be questioned whenever they are raised. Does the study from which the evidence is drawn focus on adult goals and priorities or on the healthy development of children?
• Higher education early childhood education programs should include comprehensive content related to play.