Why Are the Children Playing?

by Sandra W. Newnan, Early Childhood Instructor, Central Piedmont Community College

Let’s take an imaginary trip to a kindergarten classroom. Heather and Calvin are in the Pretend Corner setting the table and cooking supper. Christian and Kenzie are in the Manipulative Area putting puzzles together. Jason and Michelle are building in the Block Area. Casey and Andrea are in the Book Center looking at books and talking together. Toshia and Daudi are in the Writing Center drawing with crayons. In the Art Area Jennifer and Matthew are cutting and pasting. Terrainio is painting a picture at the easel. Lorenzo is washing dishes at the sink. There is so much for preschoolers to learn. Why are the children playing?

Current trends toward competency based education and back to the basics result in pressure on younger and younger children to begin learning their ABC’s, writing their names, and learning to count. Among the hardest questions preschool teachers must answer are: Why are the children playing? When are you going to start teaching them something? Early childhood educators must have their objectives in mind and state them clearly to avert pressure from parents, administrators, or other teachers to teach the 3 R’s to preschoolers. In this paper, we will discuss the preschool curriculum and explain how it lays the essential foundation for the 3 R’s–reading, writing and arithmetic.