Kindergarteners today are expected to achieve at a higher level today, than every before. We 60 minutes of whole group reading, 60 minutes of small group reading, 30 minutes of content, and 60 minutes of math! It can be exhausting can take part in an endless variety of activities. Then these students go home and they continue to work! From computer games to piano lessons, and from soccer practice to karate, there is no shortage of skills for kids to learn. However, children also need regular playtime that is not focused on structure, skill building or electronics. While those things are all good for children, too much can crowd out the kind of play that is essential for developing one of the most amazing gifts of childhood: imagination.
Kid Time is a great time for students to use their imagination and socialize with friends. Here are some keys benefits to children using their imagination:
- Imagination helps children solve problems. Helping them think through different outcomes to various situations and role playing ways to cope with difficult or new circumstances.
- Imagination allows children to practice real-life skills. From shopping at a pretend grocery store, looking over a menu in the play house, to assigning roles and dialogue to dolls or puppets, children's pretend play helps them practice and apply new learning and better understand how those skills are used in the real world.
- Imagination also encourages a rich vocabulary. Telling and hearing real or made-up stories, reading books and pretend play help children learn and retain new words.
- Imagination helps children grow up to be adults who are creative thinkers. Adults who were imaginative children often become problem solvers, innovators and creative thinkers.
As you can see, imagination can often be as important as math, science or reading by helping to develop many important skills that boost a child's learning and success.
Kid Time: Future Teachers in Action!
