The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Play In The Classroom

It can be argued that play effects the learning of young students in many ways. At a young age, we as students have experienced some form of play in or outside of the classroom. Play can enhance a student’s ability to grasp and hold on to information he or she has been taught. As with all things there are both advantages and disadvantages that follow introducing play into the learning environment. According to an article written in Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning “Play supports emotional development by providing a way for children to express their feelings (Isenberg and Jalongo 2014)”. Emotional development is a crucial part of a child’s developmental progress and can be regulated through play. When a child plays with other children …show more content…
Kenneth Ginsberg from the American Academy of Pediatrics states that “lack of play can lead to students’ inability to store new information (2007)”. Play gives children a chance to regroup and process the information that was taught to them earlier in the day. During that play time students may make connections that relate things in the play space back to a lesson. Play also provides children of all ages with a chance to physically release all the energy that may have been accumulated throughout the course of the day. Physical releases mean more focused student once they are reintroduced to the classroom setting. Lack of play in a learning environment can possibly cause children distress. Play is not something one does just to have fun, but it allows the brain to relax after gaining loads of information. Requiring young children to sit still for an entire school day can be incredibly difficult for both teacher and student. Ginsberg suggests that “highly scheduled children have less time for free, child-driven creative play, which offers benefits that may be protective against pressure and stress (2007)”. This statement means that the more children are able to play and express their creativity the less likely they are to develop stress disorders later on in life. That being said play or relaxation reassure that students have a reduced amount of depression that can follow students from early childhood through college years. As teachers, if we are able to help our students find a joy in learning as well as promote healthy life choices we can introduce a new aspect of learning that may have greater impacts on students lifestyles than the current teaching