Nitzan Play in Preschool

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.  But for children play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”    Fred Rogers

Anyone who has walked the halls of Nitzan Nursery School has probably heard me say that Nitzan is a “play-based school”.  I strongly stand behind that and feel our young students benefit from this philosophy.   We provide our students with opportunities to play so that they can learn at their own pace and in their own way.

Some examples of learning through play:   Education.com

Vehicles and animals – playing with cars, trucks, trains and animals will encourage new vocabulary words as the children interact with the toys.  The children and adults they are playing with can create different scenarios that the vehicles and animals may find themselves in.

Dolls and dollhouses – playing with dolls and dollhouses help the children to reenact what happens in their daily lives using words and phrases they hear.  You are likely to hear your own words or phrases come out of their mouths.

Dramatic Play – provide some props such as dishes, play food, empty food boxes, a cash register, doctor’s kit and stuffed animals.  With these props, the children can use their imaginations and be transported to different places and scenarios.

Blocks – playing with blocks provides for many problem-solving scenarios.  Children can work on balancing, sorting, construction etc…