Learning Literacy through Play - An Academic Perspective

It is well known that children learn by doing. Solely using rote worksheets and drills are proven time and time again to be ineffective, especially in preschool children. When young children are active in their learning, when they participate in play when completing a task, it is not just fun and games. Theorist and educator John Dewey said that “play provides children with a number of natural learning experiences that are relevant to children to enhance their development” (Platz & Arellano). Throughout the study of how children learn, theorists, professors and teacher alike agree that when children can make the connections to their own real world physical experiences, they simply learn the task better.

So what about the specific area of acquiring language? Another well-known theorist, Vygotsky, considered play to be of vital importance to any child’s learning, and associating language with play is simply a natural occurrence. Vygotsky believed in a zone of proximal development, and when young children play, they do so at a level above their own developmental level. They explore and find meaning in what they are doing. When they find meaning through their play, they label and find language to identify that meaning.

Therefore, providing a language-rich environment is important in any preschool classroom, and one way to nurture those language skills is through storybook reading and play. The textbook, Essential Linguistics, discusses reading in comparison to the rich becoming richer while poor stay poor – Good readers continue to read and improve, while poor readers stop and struggle. Teachers can use guided participation through play to enhance the language learned during the reading with the teacher. “Guided play is a type of play that is structured to directly teach academic skills and concepts to further children’s language and early literacy abilities” (Massey). The teacher guides the children through modeling and interacting with props and instructional tools. Yes, playing with toys. When the prop is used, children are opened to the concept of linking a real object the text they’ve heard. When concrete tools are provided for story retelling, it links the story again and provides motivation and encouragement for children’s language and vocabulary development.

Conversation and toys aren’t the only way to become active. Physical movement can be utilized as well, and it is important to note that not all children have access to these equally challenging and motivating educational environments. Low-income children may not have the same preschool resources in comparison to middle or higher income children. But even Head Start program in the United States, which helps lower income families, realized as well that children learn by doing, and have focused some of their research on specific movement activities to promote language. In one study, children march in place while learning a poem, or perform jumping jacks when identifying rhyming words, and the research “found that Alliteration and Picture Naming, both associated with greater early literacy skills and phonological awareness, were significantly improved” with physical movement (Kirk et al).

Active reading is also beneficial for children with different abilities. The research for typical young children is evident, but is specific research is required for special needs students. Children on the Autism spectrum, for example, have a difficult time with shared experiences and social cues. Although that active sharing during reading can be difficult for children on the spectrum, research shows that even these children with such social deficits can improve their reading ability through active participation. “Traditional reading procedures … may work well for some children, but may need to be modified for other children. In the event that children have difficulty responding to the traditional reading prompts, the adult will need to provide additional support (e.g. simplify the question, provide answer choices) in order to elicit more verbal participation from their children” (Fleury et al). So with simple modifications that are based on the needs of the child, even those individuals who have difficulties with social skills can benefit from literacy through active participation.

Children who are learning English for the first time in preschool classrooms may also require specialized instruction. Typical instruction for English speakers may not be suitable for their non-English speaking peers. For these children, one way to help promote literacy development is through movement and drama. Research has shown that “acting out stories and events is a highly motivating approach for students to process and to share information” (Reig, Paquette). It helps that they are young as well. Young children are naturally more motivated to participate in drama, play and games since they are in the exploration stage of development. Take that information, along with using language in an interactive context, and you can give optimal language learning benefits to ELL students. Using what is known as “informal drama” children use puppets or other props to create their own drama, make up their own stories, or reenact stories they’ve heard in class. In a more formal approach to drama, students create improvisations based on situations for which they create dialogue. Teachers “use situations or scenarios that relate to students' everyday lives for use with improvisations” (Reig, Paquette).

Whatever activity is chosen for language development, whether it be guided play, a physical activity, or a dramatic scenario, what is most important to mention is the teacher’s role in the process. Should teachers simply set out toys and sit back, letting the children’s development depend solely upon their own play with little to no instruction or teacher interaction? Or should teachers script play, keep it highly structured, with clear learning objectives and outcomes? Maybe the answer is a little bit of both. “Recently, educators have advocated connecting play and learning in a more systematic way in preschools and a more active role for adults in children’s play” (Einarsdottir). It is called “educational play” and “is a goal-directed play experience wherein several educational areas and different types of play are connected.” Basically, the teacher links the educational goals and the curriculum to the play, and from the perspective of the child, it is a vehicle that is “inherently self-motivating” (Einarsdottir). Teachers can also use the interests of the children to drive the goals and the play. It is similar to educational play; however, the teacher’s role is more of an observer, finding what interests the students in order to motivate them.

With all the research from past to present for young children in favor of learning through play, it can no longer be supported that children become better learners when they are seated and told to pay full attention to the teacher. It is more common knowledge that children do, in fact, learn through playing and that includes the specific area of language development. Learning language through play can be achieved for children of all abilities, from typically developing children to those from low income families to those with special needs.Teachers play a vital role in knowing the questions to ask during a storybook reading, developing the props for children to use during imaginative play, and simply creating an environment that will not only meet the needs of the goals and outcomes of each student, but their creative and playful side as well. With a properly set lesson plan and the right tools in place, children can participate in active play that specifically can promote language development and help them gain the language needs for many successful school years to come.
 
References:
Callcott, D., Hammond, L., & Hill, S. (2014). The Synergistic Effect of Teaching a Combined Explicit Movement and Phonological Awareness Program to Preschool Aged Students. Early Childhood Education Journal Early Childhood Educ J, 43(3), 201-211.
Derri, V., Kourtessis, T., Goti-Douma, E., Kyrgiridis, P., (2010) Physical Education and Language Integration: Effects on Oral and Written Speech of Pre-school Children. Physical Educator, 67(4).
Einarsdottir, J. (2012). Play and Literacy: A Collaborative Action Research Project in Preschool. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58(1), 93-109.
Fleury, V. P., Miramontez, S. H., Hudson, R. F., & Schwartz, I. S. (2013). Promoting active participation in book reading for preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A preliminary study. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 30(3), 273-288.
Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, and grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Kirk, S. M., Vizcarra, C. R., Looney, E. C., & Kirk, E. P. (2013). Using Physical Activity to Teach Academic Content: A Study of the Effects on Literacy in Head Start Preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal Early Childhood Educ J, 42(3), 181-189.
Massey, S. L. (2012). From the Reading Rug to the Play Center: Enhancing Vocabulary and Comprehensive Language Skills by Connecting Storybook Reading and Guided Play. Early Childhood Education Journal Early Childhood Educ J, 41(2), 125-131.
Platz, D., & Arellano, J. (2011, September 22). Time Tested Early Childhood Theories and Practices. Education.
Rieg, K. R., & Paquette, S. A. (2009, June 1). Using Drama and Movement to Enhance English Language Learners' Literacy Development. Journal of Instructional Psychology.

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