Work vs Play in classrooms

We will be exploring the benefits of play in early childhood classrooms and beyond. Research shows that there are significant benefits to play, but recently school systems have begun to phase out the importance of play in their curriculums. Instead increasing academic rigor has taken over the life of the everyday classroom. While academic skills are vital, social skills are equally as important for student\u27s proper development. Teachers and educators of all grade levels must find methods to incorporate both cognitive and social emotional development into their classrooms. With the implementation of several required standardized tests, school districts have been forced to focus only on academic scores in order to receive good grades on these large-scale assessments. The consequence of these tests is that students have been given less time to work on and cultivate creative activities and ideas in the classroom, including time for free play. Methods such as intentional teaching have emerged to help teachers combine both academics and play or exploration into the same lesson plans. The goal of our research will be to explore both the benefits and drawbacks of prioritizing play in the everyday classroom