British academics and teachers have highlighted the need to learn through play in an article in The Guardian on 12 
September 2013 and called for a later start to formal schooling. Do you agree?
They wrote a letter to Michael Gove (UK Secretary of State) to demand that children be allowed to learn through play and to call for a delay the start of formal teaching and testing.
The letter says:
Very few countries have a school starting age as young as four, as we do in England. Children who enter school at six or seven – after several years of high-quality nursery education – consistently achieve better educational results as well as higher levels of well-being.
One of the signatories, Cambridge researcher David Whitebread, explains why children may need more time to develop before their formal education begins in earnest. I was delighted when I came across this article. I have felt for a long time that children need to play and have fun before we put too much pressure on them to be successful academically.
As a school psychologist I have seen many young children who had emotional and social issues which needed to be addressed before they could be receptive to learning. Allowing them to play and have fun whilst learning these social and emotional well-being skills provides them with a great foundation for the rest of their lives.
With this in mind I created Rainbow Planet Connection several years ago which offers resources and training for teachers, parents and other professionals in this area.
Our philosophy is that EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING are now being recognized as key factors in helping children to develop in a much healthier way, where they feel happier about themselves and are more likely to be successful in learning.
The programs and resources developed by The Rainbow Planet Connection are based on:
- Teaching and encouraging children to be responsible for their own energy and emotional state.
- Teaching children how to express their feelings in a fun, creative way using Art, Drama, Movement, Music, Story Telling and other creative activities.
- Encouraging children to express their feelings, without being embarrassed or ashamed of them, and without blaming or hurting others in the process.
- Teaching children to communicate and interact with others in more responsible, caring ways.
Dr. Maurice Elias, a leading child psychologist, researcher and expert on SEL from Rutgers University says:
“Emotional well-being is “dramatically and positively predictive not only of academic achievement, but also of satisfactory and productive experiences in the world of work and marriage, even of better physical health.”
The Montessori and Steiner schools have for many years adopted the philosophy that a child is better left until the age of seven before they are taught more academic subjects as outlined below. Waldorf (Steiner) pedagogy distinguishes three broad stages in child development, each lasting approximately seven years.
The early years education focuses on providing practical, hands-on activities and environments that encourage creative play. In the elementary school, the emphasis is on developing pupils’ artistic expression and social capacities, fostering both creative and analytical modes of understanding.
For more information about Rainbow Planet Connection’s online training, kid’s activities and workbooks, please visit our website and read our testimonials about other people’s experiences using our resources.
