Playtime is serious business

Tried to get your kids to memorise words from flashcards recently? One child psychologist from the US says that would only stifle your child's creativity and take away the joy of learning.

'Children are essentially explorer-discoverers, not rote-learners,' says Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, author of the book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards.

Especially if you want your child equipped for the 21st century business world, which says that it needs knowledge-based people these days. The four characteristics of such as person is one who's a collaborator, a communicator, to have content and who's a creative innovator, says Professor Hirsh-Pasek, who's director of the Infant Language Laboratory at Temple University, USA.

'Collaborators because people need to work in teams, to have trust. Communicators because they need to talk and write to make themselves understood. Then, people need to know how to read, write and do maths, while they need to be creative innovators because we don't know what kind of problems they'll face,' she explains.

If this is what the business community says, then how does one instil the four 'C's' in a pre-schooler? The answer is in playful learning. 'We learn best when it's meaningful, and we're actively engaged, when it's fun and when we're happy,' she believes.

It's a belief that's based on scientific studies. Children who learn drama, for instance, do better in reading and 'emotion regulation'. 'If you fill up children's time for them, they'll be drones in the future. Research suggests that children who manage their own time and pace will be bosses in the future,' adds Prof Hirsh-Pasek.

Research also shows that children who engage in playful games become more confident and have better reading and maths skills. Playing with puzzles and blocks, for instance, improves spatial skills. 'Parents also use more extensive vocabulary when explaining games to children,' she adds.

Research also shows that three to five years old are the foundational years of a child, so pre-school activities do matter. 'The idea is to let the child learn within a playful environment,' she says.

Prof Hirsh-Pasek was in town a while ago to give a talk on pre-school education, upon invitation by Mindchamps, an enrichment centre.

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