Learning Through Play
By: Dennis and Monica Poliquit

A few weeks into my “informal” homeschooling, I asked my 5½ year old daughter Gaby how she likes our program so far.

“It’s ok, Mama, but sometimes it’s boring,” she shared.
“Boring?!?” I asked.
“Yeah. You should put more activities.”

I had forgotten that my daughter was a child. I’ve been concentrating on checking my list of things for her to learn, that I forgot to put in more activities or play time in our daily schedule.

For a young child, play is important in their life and can be beneficial to their education. As parents of pre-schoolers, we sometimes take this for granted and cram in academic activities in hopes of creating a Baby Genius. Young children who take a heavy load of pen and paper activities that confines them to a desk tend to get burned out, and lose their interest in learning. For them, education becomes a chore.

Playtime aids in a child’s education by:

1. Developing his analytical and critical thinking skills. Board games, dominoes and puzzles can aid their problem solving skills. Explain to him how things work, but also allow him to explore things on his own (with supervision, of course!). My son, Joaquin, is currently learning all about cars and tools as his Papi (my father) fixes his cars and motorbikes.

2. Learning basic life lessons. Pretend play introduces children to the different occupations of the people in his neighborhood. Let them dress up in your old clothes, shoes and jewelry, and play house or supermarket. Join in the fun, and teach your kids about adult roles like washing clothes, cooking, caring for the baby and other responsibilities which they can apply later in life.

3. Encouraging his creative skills. Nothing beats a stack of recycled paper, a box of crayons and your child’s imagination! Finger painting, clay molding, and pencil scribbling are all fun. Provide your child with a box full of art supplies (paints, brushes, scissors, glue) and other knick knacks (cotton, uncooked macaroni), and let their imagination run wild! Display their art works for the family to admire as they beam with pride.

4. Creating an outlet for excess energy. Climbing and running are favorite activities for any child. Bring back the games you played when there were no computers, DVD’s and I-pods. Patintero, hopscotch, hide and seek, “Ice, Ice, Water,” and “Mother, may I?” are some of the childhood games I’ve taught my kids. Plus, it’s a great way to get some exercise!

5. Improving their language skills. Some concepts are easily memorized if they are taught through song and dance. Reading out loud enhances a child’s vocabulary. Reporting or story-telling encourages a child in communicating his thoughts and translating his ideas into words. Our favorite family past-time is telling each other our favorite part of the day’s events. Jaime is our favorite story teller – sometimes you see his actions and emotions before he tells the story!

6. Enhance their social development and character through interaction. A playground is the perfect place to help a child overcome his shyness and self-centeredness. He learns how to be patient when taking turns going down the slide, shares a toy with someone, and of course, how to deal with a playground bully. The best part is when they create friendships that last.

Playtime is a great way for children to practice the skills they learn in school, discover new ideas and interests, and develop a profound sense of self and independence.

Best of all, children aren’t daunted by school concepts when presented in a manner that is enjoyable. Learning has never been so much fun!

Dennis and Monica Poliquit are proud parents to 5 children, 4 of which are twins (2 sets). Dennis is the radio personality more popularly known as Big Daddy Jake of Magic 89.9 while Monica is the Assistant Editor for they magazine, Modern Teacher.