The Importance of Playtime: Why Do The Best Preschools In Bangalore Adapt It Into Their Early Years Curriculum?

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Does your little one always want to play? Are you concerned that all of this playtime will cause him/her to lose interest in school? Well, according to UNICEF researchers, structured and unstructured playtime is important for developing creativity and independent thinking in young ones. Therefore, the best schools in Bangalore incorporate free play into their early years curriculum to accelerate children’s development. Here’s how.

How Do The Best Pre-schools In Bangalore Use Structured & Unstructured Play For Holistic Development?

In structured play, caregivers assign a specific task or game (like collecting objects in a treasure hunt or finding clues in a puzzle game) to fulfil a specific learning objective. Tots are expected to think, observe, listen and follow instructions or collaborate with one another to finish that task.

In unstructured play, children participate in a game or activity of their choice. They’re free topursue their curiosity, explore, discover, and create anything they want, without having to follow any predefined guidelines. E.g., making sandcastles or drawing what comes to their mind.

The top nursery schools in Bangalore add music, movement, sports, art & craft, etc., to engage learners with different learning styles(literary, audio-visual, kinesthetic, etc.).

The Benefits

  • Children use their imaginationand decision-making skills to interact with different toys, resources, and spaces in games like scavenger hunting, hide and seek, etc.

  • They develop gross and fine motor skills while playing with playdough, sand, water, and balls.

  • Dolls and roleplays train them to creatively express themselves, whereas blocks, puzzles, and educational toys like Tangrams, build critical thinkingand problem-solving abilities.

Playtime not only builds critical life skills in children but also allows them a chance to practise mindfulness, self-regulation, negotiation, sharing, gratitude,etc.

How Can We Help Children Balance Playtime With Study Hours?

Studying alone will not make our kids sharper, unless they learn to apply the learning in a real-life context—what they do during playtime. Hence, experts suggest that all children should have at least two hours of playtime every day. If you’re worried it may distract them from their studies, here’s how we can help them balance both.

  • Set a Schedule

It’s important for children to be regular in what they’re doing to form good habits. Creating a schedule with dedicated hours for self-study and play allows them to stay disciplined and organised in life.

  • Study in Spurts

Long hours of study make children bored and exhausted. Rather than making them study at a stretch, we could break it into short intervals, with playtime in between to refresh them.

  • Make it a Family Tradition

It isn’t necessary to rely on toys all the time. You could have fun family traditions on the weekends where everyone could explore different ways to make playtime more creative. E.g. using old clothes to play dress-up, making forts with blankets, collecting different leaf samples on the playground, arranging a family talk show or quiz, etc.

While individual play develops autonomy, group play helps inculcate values like sharing, kindness, teamwork, etc. A preschool is a great place where toddlers can learn all this and more! If you’re searching for the best schools in Bangalore that stimulate young minds with playtime, sensorial activities (involving different colours, smells, sounds, tastes), reading, celebrations, etc., Ekya Schools is the one for you. Their early years curriculum is designed in-house to ensure children live their lessons every day! Get in touch to know more.

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