Why play is an integral part of a child’s early years

Source: The Indian Express

The world we exist in today contains Instability, Uncertainty, Difficulty and Ambiguity (VICA). The pandemic has forced us to think about the readiness of our children against an uncertain world. The life skills needed to address this are beyond the 3 Rs of learning (Reading, Writing & Arithmetic). Children now need to develop skills that will enable them to flourish while also contributing to their lifelong learning process. The P21 Early Learning Framework’ (ELF) advocates that we need to prepare our children as early as 18 months of age and facilitate the development of the 4 Cs –Critical thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity.
Nearly 90 per cent of the brain development happens during the first 2000 days of a child’s life. While the child’s brain is building connections with the world, the integration of the 4Cs (Critical thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity) and other development skills lay the groundwork in helping the child become a confident adult. The key is to provide a consistent learning environment at school, home, and with the community at large.
With school closures resulting from the pandemic, it is said that about 165 million children between the age group of 0-5 years have lost out on early childhood care and education. Experts believe this could have a lasting impact on children’s development. 

Also read: The science behind dad-daughter relationship