Children all have one thing in common: a desire to have fun. Play is an activity that is chosen purely for recreation and pleasure, rather than for a serious purpose and it is an essential part in the development of children. While some children benefit from strict and forced learning, John Locke’s essay of “Some Thoughts Concerning Education” encourages the idea that most children learn and behave best when they are educated through a playful state. Through the teaching methods offered in Turner’s, Watt’s and Sir Hugh Plat’s text, such as storytelling, which help children get a better understanding of themselves; songs that contain moral lessons and are memorized; and learning through games and activities, it produces positive behaviours in
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Locke emphasizes throughout his essay that learning should “never be imposed as a task nor made a trouble to [children]” (271). In his concept of reading, he discusses how children can be tricked into good behaviour. Instead of telling a child that it is time for them to go and practice their letters, children will respond better if they are told that they are going to be playing a game. Sir Hugh Plat introduces in his text, “A Jewel House of Art and Nature” an educational game involving four large dice with letters engraved on every side. The purpose of the letter blocks is to give children a chance to play around with it, while at the same time learn the letters engraved on the sides. To them, these blocks are just toys, when in fact, it is also teaching them the alphabet (Plat 18). Locke elaborates on Plat’s idea of teaching in the form of a game by saying that the letters on the blocks “teach children the alphabet by playing” and is something that is “found [to be] suitable to their particular tempers, to make this learning a kind of sport to them” (Locke 272). He strongly believes that “children should not be assigned work or anything serious because it could damage their health and mental being. It would be more beneficial if they are “cozened into a knowledge of letters; be taught to read, without perceiving it to be anything but a sport, and play themselves into that which others are whipped for” (Locke 272). This shows children that education does not have to be tedious and boring and it can start to become something that they look forward to doing on their own. Plat and Locke both observe the use of the dice game and conclude that children respond better when they are educated through playful and enjoyable activities, rather than through the traditional methods of paper and pen or beating. In addition, scholarly writer Diana
Locke emphasizes throughout his essay that learning should “never be imposed as a task nor made a trouble to [children]” (271). In his concept of reading, he discusses how children can be tricked into good behaviour. Instead of telling a child that it is time for them to go and practice their letters, children will respond better if they are told that they are going to be playing a game. Sir Hugh Plat introduces in his text, “A Jewel House of Art and Nature” an educational game involving four large dice with letters engraved on every side. The purpose of the letter blocks is to give children a chance to play around with it, while at the same time learn the letters engraved on the sides. To them, these blocks are just toys, when in fact, it is also teaching them the alphabet (Plat 18). Locke elaborates on Plat’s idea of teaching in the form of a game by saying that the letters on the blocks “teach children the alphabet by playing” and is something that is “found [to be] suitable to their particular tempers, to make this learning a kind of sport to them” (Locke 272). He strongly believes that “children should not be assigned work or anything serious because it could damage their health and mental being. It would be more beneficial if they are “cozened into a knowledge of letters; be taught to read, without perceiving it to be anything but a sport, and play themselves into that which others are whipped for” (Locke 272). This shows children that education does not have to be tedious and boring and it can start to become something that they look forward to doing on their own. Plat and Locke both observe the use of the dice game and conclude that children respond better when they are educated through playful and enjoyable activities, rather than through the traditional methods of paper and pen or beating. In addition, scholarly writer Diana