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Our Child Development Program

The Nature, Purpose, And Value Of Play

By March 31, 2017June 21st, 2020No Comments

As child development professionals, we make the statement that play is children’s “work.” Our statement is a response to the common adult perception of play as an activity with less value than that of work. In fact, even when applied to adults there is substantial reason to take issue with this perception. With children such an assertion is patently false, because play is the activity by which children learn and develop. An excessive focus on product and achievement-oriented activities (devaluing the value of “play”) actually undermines that which establishes the foundation for a productive and satisfying life as an adult. At the Center, a primary requirement of our staff is to have a comprehensive understanding of play and its relationship to learning; a primary goal of our program is to sustain and enhance the play activity of our children.