Learn Through Playing

• Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, physician at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, says play is essential to children's development. Preschoolers learn through playing and free play does not equal lack of learning. By providing preschoolers with suitable toys and activities, you promote the development of a range of skills. Academic learning and enrichment programmes have often been stressed. Yet, play needs to be included in daily activities. According to a clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the appropriate balance between play and academic activities are difficult to determine exactly. The specific needs of a child depend upon his temperament, social and intellectual development.
  
  

Daily Free Play Sessions

• Include daily free play sessions in your preschooler's schedule. A large proportion of preschoolers' play sessions should be child driven rather than formally organized by adults. Monitor and ensure that your preschooler is safe by allowing her time to explore and choose her own toys and type of activity. Organize preschool activities when she moves from parallel playing to play that is more social. This change in play often happens between the ages of two-and-half to three years. Parallel play means that she is playing next to another child without trying to influence or involve the other child in the activity.
  
  

Play Activities

• Language increase when a preschooler plays with other children. This type of conversation has a different character as compared to conversations with adults. Adults try to understand a preschooler and often generously help him to explain things. When he is playing with a friend, he practices explaining his wishes and ideas to someone with limited communication skills and vocabulary. Let him play with toys that encourage active play, such as blocks or soft toys. These types of play activities encourage imagination and inspire him to use problem solving and thinking skills. Building blocks help him learn scientific, mathematical, and language concepts. Fine motor skills are developed by manipulating blocks.
  
  

Learning Activities

• Daily learning activities and enrichment programs are important. Yet, it is vital not to over-schedule a preschooler. Preschoolers learn more from educational activities that support their own interests and ideas. Use short and frequent learning sessions and allow her time to play independently as well as with other children. Too much organized and structured activities may undermine her self-confidence and motivation to learn.