It has been a hot summer and it does not seem to be slowing down. We just came out of a long weekend here in Canada, and the heat waves keep coming. There is almost no way to keep kids doing anything other than splashing around, building sand castles and forts, and all the other joys that come with this beautiful weather. 

We think at this point, parents are in two camps. In one, parents are enjoying summer days, hoping that the endless days that merge into nights never come to an end. On the other, parents are making memories, enjoying traditions, and ready to get into some sort of routine that usually comes with the beginning of the school year. Parents in either of these camps also have something else in the back of their minds, their child’s learning.

Most of us want our children to not lose the skills and knowledge they picked up the year prior, and know there is always an adjustment period come fall. But, what if we told you all the splashing around and the fort making and the rolling on grass hills IS learning? Learning is an interesting, abstract, subconscious process that we all do, but children…they do this best through play. 

Play, like we’ve mentioned, can be building castles for example. What a fun activity to do! It’s simple, relatively easy to do, and the perfect learning experience at the beach. However, not all play activities fit within those boundaries. 

Today we want to point out that while play can be fun, one doesn’t need to be having fun to be playing.

Sometimes, we confuse fun with play, but play can also be challenging and frustrating. Hannah Beach, award winning ​​educator and author, writes that “Play is not an ‘extra’; it is essential in our children’s lives. It acts as the role of a release valve, life’s rehearsal grounds, as well as a medium that allows children to safely make sense of and process their internal and external worlds.” These processes include the practice of expressing emotion, failing at tasks, interacting with others, and so much more. 

If we go back to our sandcastle example, think about what happens when a child carefully packs in the sand and makes sure that their bucket is full, only to turn it and realize the sand at the top was too dry and it comes crashing down? This is an opportunity to learn and children take in that opportunity and try again because THEY ARE PLAYING!

So parents, whichever camp you are in, rest assured that your child is learning in the midst of all the laidback, never ending days, and that all this play is preparing them to manage the emotions and steps they will take once school begins again. In the meantime, we urge you to get out there and play as well. 

Until next time,

Northern Light Academy team