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VOL. 9, ISSUE 1 (2024)
Play and preschoolers’ acquisition of scientific skills and concepts outside the classroom
Authors
Beatrice O Amadi Ali
Abstract
Many factors contribute to the acquisition of scientific concepts and
skills among preschoolers. Some of these concepts and skills could be acquired
inside the classroom during formal teaching and learning. Play is an activity
that is spontaneous and satisfying. Children engage in play wherever they find
themselves together, and even alone, a child could engage in solitary play.
Play to children is as important as food. They get assimilated in it such that
sometimes they forget food. Often times, children (preschoolers) play outside
the classroom. This paper therefore discussed the role of play outside the
classroom on preschoolers’ acquisition of scientific concept and skill. To
achieve this, the writer discussed briefly on science as a concept, discussed
on the benefits of acquiring scientific concepts and skills outside the
classroom; discussed on play, advantages of play to children’s acquisition of
scientific concepts and skills; the theories of play which anchored on Sigmund
Freud’s theory of play (1954), Susan Isaac’s theory of play (1929); Lev
Vygotsy’s theory of play (1966) and Friedrich Froebel’s theory of play (1906).
The paper also discussed some of the scientific concepts and skills that could
be acquired through play outside the classroom, such as: children’s acquisition
of the concept and skills of “oral rehydration”, children’s acquisition of the
concept and skill of “air occupies space”; children’s acquisition of the
concept and skill of “basic electricity-how electricity is produced”;
children’s acquisition of the scientific concept of “transmission of sound
wave”; children’s acquisition of the concept of “living and non-living things”
and children’s acquisition of the concept of “heavy and light objects”, through
play outside the classroom. These background discussions revealed that there
are many benefits derived from playing outside the classroom by children
(preschoolers and others). Based on this, it was concluded that children’s play
outside the classroom is significant to their skills and concepts acquisition.
Therefore, it was suggested among others that children should be allowed to
play outside the classroom with materials that would enhance their scientific
concepts and skills; and that although playing outside the classroom is
beneficial to their skills and concepts acquisition, their play must be
supervised by more knowledgeable others (MKOs’) to prevent accidents and
misconducts.
Pages:71-75
How to cite this article:
Beatrice O Amadi Ali "Play and preschoolers’ acquisition of scientific skills and concepts outside the classroom". International Journal of Advanced Educational Research, Vol 9, Issue 1, 2024, Pages 71-75
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