Vocational School of Justice
‘LEARNING THROUGH PLAY’
Children learn about life before school through play. Hakan Yıldız, Lecturer, IUE Vocational School of Health Services, pointed that play, which was a major part of a child’s life, had a significant role in shaping the child’s future. Yıldız said, “Child should be given an opportunity, time and place to play. They should be respected during playtime and parents should get involved as much as possible”.
Yıldız, who stated that children learned through play, said, “The best way to learn is interactive plays where children are involved in one on one. Play is a serious business. It is a reflection of children’s imaginary world and their desires. It helps children become highly-motivated, independent thinkers and outgoing personalities in the future.”
Yıldız reported that play was essential to development because it contributed to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and he said that children, who got involved in playing, displayed a healthier and quicker development. Yıldız listed the importance of play in children’s life as below:
“Play, which has impact on social, psychological, physical, lingual, mental development of children, also allows them to recognize their own body. During play, the whole body is engaged. Especially during active plays, heart rate, blood flow and respiration increases, thus causing more oxygen to the body. Children sweat during playing which rids the body of toxins. Play help kids learn to control their behavior and increases attention span.”
‘Expresses Emotions Freely Through Play’
Play enables children to imagine themselves in a safe place in terms of emotional being and allow them to express themselves freely and increase their self-confidence, said Yıldız. “Children involved in playing can empathize with others. They can also acknowledge their gender identity. They learn to co-operate and socialize. They explore and learn about new concepts through play. They gain skills such as deductive reasoning, communication, speaking, making a decision, thinking, comprehending, listing, etc. They also improve their problem-solving skills during playing,” said Yıldız.
‘Parents, Who Take Play Seriously, Win’
Yıldız indicated that play should not be viewed as something to pass time to; in fact it allowed children to learn about many rules during playing. He said that playing outside in our day almost abolished, and children were taken from courses to courses by their ambitious parents. Yıldız made the following recommendations:
“Parents need to place importance to play, toys, play time and place. Children should be allowed time, place and opportunity to play. Parents should respect their children’s choice of play and try to get involved as much as possible. They should take it seriously as they are playing with their children.”