European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 28, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Learning through playing by Connie Dickey staff writer because cd Wildren can play and learn with just about anything parents need not buy expensive toys to ensure Quality play Lime that s the adv co from Barbara Bowers a specialist in Early childhood education and a second Grade teacher Al Berlin elementary school she said he Best toys Are i hinge children find around the House such As pots and pans empty boxes and a band Aid  learn sounds from playing Wilh Pels and pans. From empty boxes they can learn concepts such As space underneath and on lop of. Pulling Somel Hans in a band Aid Box soil rattles makes the child try to figure out How to open the Box and gel to the sound she  who has a master s degree to Early childhood education taught kindergarten first and second grades in new York before coming to the department at defense dependents schools 10 years ago. She said telephones Are Anol Hor fascinating toy. But instead Al telling the child play Wilh Ine real phone a toy phone can work just As Welt. Children can learn to dial they have Ilia Cord to fiddle with and the phone makes a Nolee when i rings and sound comes out of it when you pick in  thl helps children to develop speech and learn How to make certain Bounds she said. Playing is How the Young child learns. Play is work from birth to shears old. It s like Kittens. Through their playing they learn to catch mice. It s the same principle Wilh  said Bowers who also has taught Early childhood education courses through the University of Maryland University of Southern California and Central Texas College. Playtime is important because in gets children ready for school. Bowers said Sofia has found some of her students Don t know How to use scissors or crayons because they Haven t been allowed to use Whenn Al Home. Parents have told me they Don t want their children to Cut each other s Nair or Hoy live in government quartets and Don t wan Iho Drapos Cul or Iho Walls coloured on but that s what children do. Parents have to supervise but they should let children have that kind of  she said. Play activities have gotten some bad press and parents Don t understand that children Are learning through  Bowers said. Besides learning Basic things like colors sounds and counting Sha said children learn things that can11 be taught in school like perseverance. What is happening now is lha children arc playing loss and because of that Ore having problems in school she said. Another detriment of children s play is Iho fasl concept of the past 20 years she said people Aro Inlo last foods last everything and they want Linoir children to grow up Loo fasl. Self initiated play is How children learn but it takes a White for them to learn. Ii does t happen overnight. Children have a different thought process than adults until they reach the age of 9." she said. Until than parents can t talk to them like adults but rather can help by responding to what she child is doing. When children Are old enough to use a Crayon and paper they will draw or Wile something and show in to you by saying this is a latter to grandma or this is a parking ticket parents should say yes i see in is a parking licks or whal did you Tell grandma in your Tetter anything to encourage whal the child is doing. Children Parrot whal they see adults do. If parents Are writing children want to do that. If parents Are talking on a phone children want o do that and that is How they learn to communicate Bowers said. By expanding play in Day care centers and in schools teachers and child care experts can continue the play and learning stimuli. For learning numbers and counting children love playing games. Irks parch Eesi or cards it makes then like learning Bowers said. Sound advice for parents by Connie Dickey staff writer Ouno children Are often overwhelmed with sounds. Trying to make sense out of whal they Are hearing is How they develop language skills Bald Barbara Fitzsimmons. Assistant chairperson for week of the Young child activities. Children have to Zearn if the noise of a car backfiring is a sound or a word and in what Mommy is saying is a sound or word. Their attempts at making those sounds and the response they receive helps them develop speech said files Lemons a University instructor in Early childhood education. A child s language development goes through four stages listening sea Wing Reading and writing. Children irom birth Are listening to sounds and words parents make. By the Lime they Are 2 years old. Children begin to put words together in Short phrases and they can understand most of what they Are saying said Fri Simmons who teaches at the graduate Institute for Federal teachers in Wiesbaden Germany which is sponsored by Ham Lute University of St. Paul Minn. She mid the single most important thing a Parent can do to help children learn is to read to them. It is not too Early to begin Reading to infants. It is comforting. Soothing and it is a sharing time for child and Parent ii reaches children the importance of the written word and makes them better readers when they gel into  she said. Giving children something to write with and paper to write on lots them practice Willen symbols. They Are Al tempting to put Down messages she said. Parents can also Lanct items in the child s room this is belter Lor their learning than Loi Ihm to memorise the alphabet song because children Don l connect he words to the alphabet by seeing Iho written Woid. They learn to 000911120  she said often the first to d children can read and recognize is their own name because they recognise the letters. April 28,1987 talking to children goes a Long Way in helping children develop speech she said. Parents speak to their children intuitively. No one tolls them to do in. But they do. They say this is your toe and this is your nose things like that. This is very important because it gives names to objects said Fitzsimmons who is also the Mother of a 9-year-old. She does not recommend television As a Means of leaching language but suggests thai parents take time to Converse with children. Parents can make their talk a Little simpler than usual bul they should talk Wilh their children As they would loan adult. Children need to be Able to respond. What parents need to remember is to use words that children can identity with and to explain their meanings. It s a great Way to bring new words into a child s  for instance during a child s Bali a Parent could talk with the child look Al the soap. See How it is floating. Do you know Why the Wash rag sinks when children begin speaking Hoy Are beginning to understand the rules of language such As using nouns and verbs she said they primarily learn through  she also said children use games to learn languages. Al i it to 2 years old children will unconsciously practice words by saying a word Over and Over and Over. They Ike the sounds of their voices and the sounds the word makes. By 3 or 4 years old. They Are rhyming words like Froggy Doggy parents should encourage his kind of game playing " flt Simmons said blocks Are Good toys because children can describe whal Hoy Are making ii encourages children to loll about whal they Are building if mom or dad joins in and does the same " environment has a lol to do with children learning language she said there is no diff Bronco for the child living where Ottly one language is ipod Ken in the Homo or where two languages Are spoken ii is All now to Thorn " paid earning sounds and swords is easier Tor babies she said in lad up to puberty Lea Muir a Dill Cronl language is easier Tor children bul Ages 3 and 4 Aro the optimum age Tor learning More than one language " the Joys of linger painting All children learn More irom tint hand experience than by Drill end they remember More when they have Tun doing  the stars and stripes Page 15