The Importance of Play in the Kindergarten

To properly address the concern of the importance of play in the kindergarten classroom, this literature review will focus on the history of kindergarten, the definition of play, and play in the kindergarten classroom. While researching, there was an ample amount of information about the importance of play in early childhood education, but it was hard to find information and research that focused on play in the kindergarten classroom. I also found that the term play does not have a single definition, and there are many different definitions to define play. Furthermore, while uncovering the underlying reasons for the decrease of play in kindergarten classrooms, I discovered that most teachers were not proponents for the decrease in play in the kindergarten classrooms.

History of Kindergarten

The first kindergarten was first established in 1837 in Blankenburg, Germany, by Friedrich Fröebel. In his school, Fröebel emphasized play as he felt that children should learn through play because he believed that children were very active, and they needed continuous creativity and movement (Fröebel & Hailmann, 2005). He believed that children start to learn at home until they enter kindergarten, and then kindergarten becomes their second home where they will continue to grow, learn, and play. Fröebel aligned education and nature closely with one another, and children at his kindergarten were treated as individuals who are developing through the act of playing and at their own development level.

Fröebel also created a series of games and toys, of which he called gifts and occupations. These gifts were created and designed to motivate and guide a child’s play, supported them in the development of movement, and taught them the laws of nature. As the child progressed, the gifts would get more complex. These gifts and occupations were the first steps which allowed children to experience a universe that could be understood through art, mathematics, and nature.

Kindergarten made its way to the United States in 1856 and was first established in Wisconsin by Margarethe Schurz. Her kindergarten was German-speaking, based out of her home, and included the practice of “circle-time”, which is still continuing in today’s early education curriculum (Fromberg, 2006). Elizabeth Peabody opened the first English-speaking private kindergarten in 1860. Peabody felt that she needed more training and visited European kindergartens, while studying with Fröebel’s widow. When she returned to the United States, she started to write and lecture, with the hope of spreading Fröebel’s ideas (Ray & Smith, 2010). These early kindergartens were private and were classes were conducted in the homes of the teachers.

The first English-speaking publicly funded kindergarten was opened in St. Louis in 1873 by Susan Blow. By 1880, Blow had helped start fifty-eight kindergartens in the St. Louis area, which served over nine-thousand children. As this kindergarten movement progressed in the United States, the purposes and goals of kindergarten quickly changed from Fröebel’s philosophical goals to the public schools’ goals of teaching cultural values and norms (Lee et al., 2006). Even with these changes that the public schools were making, Fröebel’s philosophy of educating the whole child and the importance of self-directed play remained intact until the 1970’s. Throughout the years, the amount of self-directed play has increasingly declined, as all schools are conforming to meet standard and curriculum needs.

What is Play?

The meaning of play has been debated by philosophers and researchers for centuries and is a term that may have a different meaning to different people and has several definitions. Play is often considered as the “work of children”, as they enjoy playing, and there is no right or wrong way to play. Play has been classified as an activity that is motivating, freely chosen, pleasurable, non-literal, opportunistic, actively engaging, imaginative, active and creative (Ashiabi, 2007). Through play, children learn social skills such as taking turns, sharing, tolerance towards others, and self-discipline. Playing also aids in the core building blocks of a child’s transitional years, as they build their emotional and intellectual development, as well as their mental health resilience (Ginsburg, 2007).

According to the journal article that was published Ginsburg and the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), the interactions and engagement that children experience during their daily activities is done through play. Many preschools base their curriculum on child-directed play. This enhances their ability to explore personal interests, develop a sense of self, develop proper leadership skills, and enables creativity and imagination. Play also helps children realize their role in society through interaction and modeling, which contributes to becoming member of society in the future (Duncan & Tarulli, 2003). At a young age, children are motivated to learn when they are interested and intrigued. The three common types of play that are seen in most preschool classrooms are learning centers, free-play, and directed physical play.

Kindergarten and Play

Kindergarten is a very important year for a child’s development. During this year they develop socially, emotionally, and physically. As a child transitions into kindergarten, play has almost disappeared from their school day and children find themselves seated at desks and completing worksheets. The school day does not end for them at school, as now most kindergarteners have homework that needs to be completed once they get home. Currently, there is a dramatic decrease in the amount of play in the kindergarten curriculum, as the curriculum shifted from play-based to meeting academic standards and formal teaching. The focus on academics in kindergarten has increased, and many teachers are under pressure to teach math and literacy skills. Kindergarten has now become first grade, and first grade has now become second grade (Curwood, 2007). It used to be the norm that only in first grade children learn to read, but now if a child is not able to read by the end of kindergarten then they are considered to be behind.

Methodology

For this action research paper, a mixed method approach using qualitative and quantitative data will be collected. The participants will include ten kindergarten teachers from the New York State area, that were chosen through selective sampling. The teachers have different backgrounds, teach in different schools, and all hold a Master’s degree in education. Six of the teachers that were selected teach in private schools, and four teachers are employed by the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) in local public schools. The quantitative data will be collected through surveys that the teachers will complete, which will help the researcher better understand what the teachers think about play-based learning in kindergarten. Once the surveys are complete it will lead to the qualitative data collection of observing the classrooms and then conducting a follow-up interview based on the observations. The qualitative data observations and interviews will give the researcher a more in depth understanding of how the teachers teach, what influences their teaching, and if they implement play in their classrooms.