A Castle can not be built on a first day

PLAY – Where learning starts

Play and learning is not a different thing. It is a false interpretation of an adult but not for a child. Child is a natural learner; an inquirer and they are doing it every single moment every day.

If you observe children, they are continuously doing something and they are deriving something out of it. As an adult, we just see that they are doing something which does not make sense for you but for them it is the only thing they want to do right now on this planet earth.

You just say they are PLAYING. They are JUST PLAYING. Because of this way of looking at it, the word PLAY has become non-worthy and PLAY as well.

Play while Learn, learn while play

I always give open-ended materials to children. And sometimes not even any specific materials rather I just give any natural thing and I wonder how much they learn while they are just playing.

Let me give you an example of what they learn why they are playing with water – JUST water.

When pouring a water from 1 jar to another jar, and repeatedly emptying and filling the jar. Firstly it enhances their fine and gross motor skills, and good physical exercise while they carry, splash and run with water. Secondly, children learn the weight, heaviness of the jar while there is water and lightness when the jar is empty.

Then they mix colors in water and observe how colorless water becomes colorful. It is nothing short of magic for them. It is full of surprises for them. They keep on adding color and try to see it again and again how the color of water is changing.

Now they drop the water in sand and suddenly the water disappears. Now they started puzzling where the water is gone and why the color of sand becomes a little darker. They start digging up the sand to check where the water is gone. While digging up the sand with their hands, now they start feeling a different sensation of wet and dry sand. Now their focus moves on how the wet sand feels between their fingers. They start using the same scopper used for water to dig out the wet sand. Now they start understanding the difference of weight while carrying water and sand.

And let me tell you this is just the beginning of the Play. Then after it is a long process and journey of different experiences while playing with water and sand. Journey of experiencing different senses like dryness, wetness, coolness, heaviness etc. and journey of different emotions like surprises, struggles, frustration, magic and happiness.

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