Do Elementary Schools Incorporate Enough Playtime Into The Day?

All my child wants to do is play. He plays with Legos, pretends he’s a leopard or a superhero — he even plays both sides of good guys versus bad guys. I can’t keep up with it all, but I do know he loves his playtime.

At his preschool, the teachers even switch the word "play" with “work," because that’s how kids learn and develop. My boy is only 4, but somehow I don’t think his play adventures should end anytime soon. (Being at the age of 44 myself, I wish they never ended!)

Professor Doris Fromberg, director of Early Childhood Teacher Education at Hofstra University, says we need to consider the differences in which children and adults learn."[Children] learn by comparing physical experiences, by interactions with other people and their own feelings. And they learn an enormous amount through their imagination. Play is what pulls together the logical and creative parts of the brain."

When elementary school begins for my son in a year (or two, because we are holding him back) at our local public school, playtime will be over, the worksheets will come out, and this makes me sad. I know I'm a free spirit, but I don't like that school is so controlled and confined for kids who need the freedom to run around and play.

Related: Why More Parents Are 'Red-Shirting' Their Preschoolers These Days

I've been speaking to parents who have older kids, and I'm told that starting in the first grade, students take on seven hours of mostly academic work, with two 20-minute breaks and a gym class once every six days. Our schools are considered the top in the country with "Blue Ribbon Standards," but that may just mean test scores are high while creative free play is down.

One mom I know tells me her third-grader comes home so wound up that he's ready to explode. Then she has to take him to Kumon Learning Center for more tutoring so he can keep up in class. It's no wonder so many kids seem anxious these days.

I know my child will be older and wiser at the age of 6, but will he really be done with playtime? I checked in with some moms on this topic and got an earful of knowledge and opinions.

Mom Megan agrees with me on the importance of playtime. "Children learn so many necessary skills through play, including appropriate social interaction, which I’d say is needed much more in their early school years, rather than stressing over how they score on reading, writing and math," she says. "My daughter is in first grade now, and they only have free play for a short period on Fridays (if the class earns it)."

Mom Katrina says, "My kids have been lucky to get teachers who try to offer play in a district or school that seems to get creative on ways to offer extra recess by calling it 'social skills' and letting the kids free play outside with extra social support, but my oldest needs more. She would really benefit from a much more play-based, self-directed way of learning — and home schooling is not my gig, as much as I’d like for it to be."

It's true that institutions such as Montessori and Waldorf continue with a more play-focused curriculum beyond kindergarten, but these private schools are so costly that most average families can't afford them.

Mom Maysaa Bazna was so unhappy with school choices for her child that she decided to start her own elementary school in Harlem, New York, called Pono. "Schools need to nurture not only the mind but the heart. Feeling loved and safe are the foundations for optimal neurodevelopment and learning," Bazna says. "Over the past 10 years, we have witnessed how play creates feelings of safety, trust and connection that go beyond age, language, culture and abilities. At Pono, children are immersed in an environment that values play for all ages. They have grown to approach life with minds and spirits that are readily engaged."

Research also clearly shows that play is essential and healthy for kids beyond kindergarten. According to the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics and in this report, "Developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain."

"Furthermore, play supports the formation of the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with all caregivers that children need to thrive. When play and safe, stable, nurturing relationships are missing in a child’s life, toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behavior; in the presence of childhood adversity, play becomes even more important."

So, what can we do as parents to keep our kids learning and exploring through play? Here are some ideas:

1. Meet with your school's superintendent and bring the research about play with you. Find out about how they view play in school. Maybe there are future plans you don't know about yet. Either way, let your voice be heard.

2. Get other families together and bring up the issue. Talk about what you can do together, because you may have more luck in numbers.

3. Voice your concerns to higher-ups. Contact the Department of Education in your state or write them a letter about your concerns.

4. Watch the documentary film "Race to Nowhere." The film shows the unfortunate consequences of kids being overloaded with tough academics, pressure and test-taking in our public schools, and it is a must-see. Host a screening in your area and keep spreading the word.

5. Be open to alternative schooling. Find out if there are schools like Pono in your area and apply for financial aid and scholarships. Home schooling may not be your thing, but if you join a cooperative, it might be something you can handle.

Don't lose hope, and keep looking for new ways to get your kids exploring, growing and learning through less testing and structure and more free play. Where there is a will, there is play!

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