“Honoring the Process of Play…” A Must-Read for Those In Early Childhood

Many early childhood educators lament the trends towards a more academic focus in preschool and kindergarten. Intuitively, we know and appreciate the value of children’s imaginative play. A recent book by Vivian Gussin Paley titled, Honoring the Process of Play a Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, recently received a great review from the National Institute for Early Education Research for the way it advocates for the importance of play.

Paley views fantasy play as the “glue that binds together all other pursuits, including the early teaching of reading and writing skills” (p. 8). She shares Vygotsky’s view of play, which is that children rise above themselves as they play, becoming more than their average selves… When children are allowed to imagine freely, their minds are primed to engage new ideas. This is where the value of the process lies. Paley understands the importance of process while solving a math problem or conducting a scientific experiment, but wonders why the same value is not placed on the process of play.

The early years are a time when process should be valued above all else, whether that be the process of reading, exploring language, understanding mathematical concepts, scientific exploration and especially creative thinking and problem solving. When these processes become second nature, there is no limit to where children can take them. All play, including fantasy play, allow children to explore all of these processes. How far can kids get with facts alone?