My daughter Zoe has had an absolute blast with you guys these past 2 weeks. You’re all doing a great job. I love seeing her walk through the gates so happy and comfortable, I really think it will help her for when school goes back. And good to hear its only a few weeks away now.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY
TeamKids are advocates for all forms of play. We believe it is part of our role to protect the integrity of childhood by advocating for all children to have the opportunity to express their innate curiosity and imagination through play.
There are five major benefits of play beyond improving overall health and quality of life:
- Play gives children a chance to discover and develop a connection to their own self-identified and self-guided interests.
- Play can increase confidence as they learn new skills and gain amplified self-awareness, self-esteem and self-respect.
- Through play, children build resilience and learn how to make decisions, take risks, solve problems, exert self-control, follow rules and deal with new and novel situations.
- Play helps children make friends, learn how to handle their emotions, build social etiquette and learn to get along with each other as equals.
- Most importantly, play provides children with an amazing source of happiness.
Play is a fundamental component of healthy brain development and builds skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, empathy and creativity; all of which are critical elements that contribute to life-long learning.
HOW TEAMKIDS CULTIVATES CREATIVE LEARNERS THROUGH PLAY
At TeamKids, every decision we make and every activity we deliver is designed to help ensure all children have the opportunity to play and explore the world around them.
We constantly use the phrase, “let the fun begin.” This is not something we take lightly. All the activities and experiences that we develop are built on a firm foundation of play, that leads to fun and enriching experiences.
Our approach to planning is based on the principles of the 4P’s as presented in Mitchel Resnicks’ book, Lifelong Kindergarten, – Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play. Resnick believes that: