# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why play? Childhood and play go together, and most parents and teachers have a vague intuition that play is a Good Thing. But if play really makes you smarter, or more focused, or more empathic, why not just aim to be smarter or more focused or more empathic directly? Why go through the elaborate detour of play?

So in spite of this intuition, time to play is increasingly under pressure, especially when parents and policymakers lean on children to "perform" even in preschool. And, in fact, there is not much evidence that play makes children do better on IQ measures or academic tests.

Young human beings play, but so do young chimps, wolves, and dolphins, rats, crows, and even octopuses. From an evolutionary perspective, play is ubiquitous; surely it must be doing something important. Play is especially common in social animals with relatively long childhoods, lots of parental investment, and large brains-animals like us. Almost any animal with a long childhood spends a lot of that childhood playing.

What exactly is play, anyway? Biologists who try to define animal play point to five distinctive characteristics. Play is not work. It may look like fighting or hunting, digging or sweeping, but it doesn't actually accomplish anything. The kitten doesn't really eat the string, the fledgling crow who plays with a twig doesn't dig out any insects, and the wrestling rat doesn't actually hurt his brother, just as playing house doesn't leave the living room any neater-quite the opposite, in fact.

But play isn't just incompetent work; it also has special characteristics that let you distinguish it from the real thing. When rats play fight, they nuzzle each other's necks; when it's for real, they bite each other's flanks. When children pretend to pour tea, they make big exaggerated sloshing movements.

Play is fun, even for animals. Babies giggle contagiously over peek-a-boo and rats laugh when they play fight, making a distinctive ultrasonic chirp.

Play is voluntary. It's something that an animal does for its own sake, not because it's instructed to do it or rewarded for doing it. In fact, young rats will actually work in order to get to play-they will learn to press a bar that lets them play. But play is not like other basic drives. Animals only play freely when their other basic needs are satisfied. When an animal is starved or stressed, play diminishes.

Play has a special structure, a pattern of repetition and variation. When rats play fight, they try different patterns of offense and defense against each other. When a six-month-old plays with a rattle, she tries shaking it louder or softer, banging it against the table with more or less vigor.
Animals who play are better at generating new possibilities.
What does this distinctive activity do for animal minds and brains? Robotics may have an answer. Suppose you're trying to make a robot that will be able to adjust to an ever-changing world, the way that animals and people do. What should you do?

Designing a robot that does just one thing, like walking, is relatively easy. Designing a resilient robot that can adapt to new circumstances is much harder. What happens if you turn the walking robot on its side, or even take off a limb? Living things can fluidly adjust to changes like these. Think about how a wounded soldier can learn to walk and even run on an artificial leg. But it's much harder for robots.

The computer scientist Hod Lipson at Cornell gives his robots a chance to play-to randomly try out different movements and work out the consequences. A Lipson robot started out by dancing around in a silly, random way before it tried to do anything useful. But, afterward, it could use the information about its own body that it collected in the playful dancing phase to decide how to act when unexpected things happened. It could still walk even when the engineers removed one of its robotic limbs. That first apparently useless playful dance made the robot more robust later on.

The same picture emerges from studies of rat brains. Sergio Pellis and his colleagues compared rats who got a chance to play when they were pups, and those who didn't. The play-deprived rats could perform the same actions as the other rats. But they didn't know when to do what. Whether they were fighting or courting, they couldn't react in the swift, flexible, and fluid fashion of the roughhousing rats. And their brains were less "plastic," less able to rewire with new experiences.

The robots and rats may give us a clue about child's play, too. Play lets the young learn by randomly and variably trying out a range of actions and ideas, and then working out the consequences. It might be a young rat trying different modes of attack and defense, a fledgling crow turning the stick upside down and right-side up, or a baby banging her rattle in many different ways. The positive consequence is that animals who play are better at generating new possibilities.

In the distinctively human activity of pretend play, the experimentation is more internal. Children who pretend, and grown-ups who immerse themselves in the imaginary realms of fiction and drama, are considering what would happen if the world were different, and working out the consequences. My former student Daphna Buchsbaum, now at the University of Toronto, and I, along with several colleagues, found that preschoolers who pretended more were better at "counterfactual" reasoning-figuring out what could have happened, but didn't. They were no smarter overall and no better at an "executive-function" task, but they were more likely to imagine other ways the world might be.
Play is a satisfying good in itself-a source of joy for parents as well as children.
The very silliness of play, the apparently random weirdness of it all, is what makes it so effective. Lipson could have tried to anticipate what his robot offspring should do in every situation, as we are tempted to do with children. But that would only give them information about what to do when the expected happens. The gift of play is the way it teaches us how to deal with the unexpected.

That may also help explain another puzzling fact about play. Why is play fun? It's easy to learn that a goal-directed action is worth doing-after all, we reach the goal and get rewarded. But how do you ensure that an animal or a child will be able to deal with a situation that evolution hasn't anticipated beforehand? We all perpetually face the unexpected, whether it's a busted knee, like the robot, a new wrestling move, like the rat, or any of the psychological surprises our fellow humans throw at us. Motivating a robot or an animal or a child to play- giving them a chance to explore widely, act randomly, be silly, and do things for no reason at all-is the solution. But to do that, you need to make exploration enjoyable for its own sake, independent of any particular outcomes. We don't play because we think that eventually it will give us robust cognitive functions-although that may be the evolutionary motivation for play. We play because it is just so much fun, just as the evolutionary imperative of reproduction leads us to enjoy sex for its own sake.

There is a notoriously Puritan streak in American culture. We have a knack for taking what are simple pleasures in other cultures, from food to walks to sex, and turning them into strenuous work projects. We follow a Mediterranean diet instead of just eating spaghetti and tomatoes, take aerobic hikes instead of after-dinner promenades, and practice The Joy of Sex instead of, well, the joy of sex. So American parents often act as if play is only valuable if it will produce predictable outcomes.

This isn't just true about our attitude toward child's play. We also tend to treat adult play-sport or art or science-as a disguised form of work, something that only has value because it eventually leads to some practical end-physical health or moral uplift.

The irony is that over the long term, both children's and adults' play does lead to practical benefits. But it does this precisely because the people who play, whether they are children or adults, aren't aiming at those practical benefits. The fundamental paradox of play is that in order to be able to reach a variety of new goals in the long run, you have to actively turn away from goal seeking in the short run.

Just as we should give children the resources and space to play, and do so without insisting that play will have immediate payoffs, we should do the same for scientists and artists and all the others who explore human possibilities.

There is good reason to think that play helps us learn. But another part of the evolutionary story is that play is a satisfying good in itself-a source of joy for parents as well as children. Caring for children is hard work, getting the chance to play again is one compensation. If it had no other rationale, the sheer pleasure of play would be justification enough.
This article is excerpted from Alison Gopnik's book, The Gardener and the Carpenter.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why play? Childhood and play go together, and most parents and teachers have a vague intuition that play is a Good Thing. But if play really makes you smarter, or more focused, or more empathic, why not just aim to be smarter or more focused or more empathic directly?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Young children are increasingly using tablets (as well as smartphones and other devices with touch screens) in early education settings and with family members. This raises important questions, such as when and how these devices can be used with young children.

Tammy and Rose, age 4, have been studying sunflowers with their classmates. They want to sing and record a song about sunflowers while creating a drawing, using an application (app) on the tablet. The girls problem solve to coordinate their efforts and are thrilled with the result. They repeatedly share their production with other children and adults in their rural Head Start/public pre-K/early intervention classroom.

Intentional choices: Selecting the right tool for the task

Whether choosing a traditional or a new tool, such as a tablet, teachers need a clear understanding of

how the tool can meet identified educational and life goals for a child or for a group of children;

the functions of various tools;

how to monitor children's engagement and progress, and adjust tasks accordingly;

and the children's interests and preferences-individually and as a group.

To help the class learn more about sunflowers, Kathryn, Tammy and Rose's teacher, used the tablet to find online sites with photos and facts. She then took the children on a virtual tour of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings. They read and discussed an electronic picture book about Van Gogh's life. The children had already examined real sunflowers and their parts, made sketches, read informational texts and stories, counted seeds, and participated in a variety of investigations touching on every learning domain. The teacher's use of the tablet alongside hands-on early learning activities expanded the children's horizons. Activities offered on the tablet provided new ways for the children to represent and share what they learned.

Using the tablet: Extending learning

Nadia cares for six toddlers and preschoolers in her family child care program. At story time, she reads aloud a board book. She and the children discuss action words from the story, such as bow and twirl, review the words, and act out the motions. Later, Nadia and the children look at and listen to the e-book version of the same story on a tablet. While Nadia prepares lunch, three children take turns touching particular words on the screen to hear them read aloud or using theirfingers to cause a character to bow or twirl. The e-book animations add playful actions that support the story line and inspire additional discussion. They also offer visual support for the action words.

Tool and app selection is important

Research features and types of tablets and apps to determine the best match for daily use with children and by adults.

Explore the entire app. Are all activity choices appropriate, and do they enhance children's daily learning experiences?

Look for apps that allow for audio and photo input. They can be culturally sensitive if they allow children to input images and audio that reflect their own culture.

Consider the feedback options. In some apps a feedback option tells children immediately whether their choice is correct. Apps that decrease the number of available answer choices may help motivate a child who is struggling.

Using tablets for documentation

As the only adult in her program, Nadia usestechnology to help her document children's activities and experiences. This allows her to communicate with families and meet accreditation requirements for documentation needed to maintain state licensing and National Association for Family Child Care accreditation. Using the video feature on her tablet, she records Colin, age 2, for two minutes, as he tries to get a baby doll to stay in a toy high chair while putting on the tray.

Nadia later reviews the video on the tablet and dictates comments about Colin's persistence in problem solving into an app on her smartphone that transcribes words into text. Nadia can share the video clips and notes with family members via e-mail. The videos allow families to observe their child, while the notes explain Nadia's interpretation of what is going on and how she will use this information to plan new learning activities.

Introducing tablets to children

Consider how to introduce the tablet and apps.

Lead a discussion with children in small or large groups or individually, whichever is most appropriate.

Use accurate language and words when naming the device and its parts and demonstrating how it works.

Discuss careful and respectful use of the tool. Create and review poems, chants, and songs about rules and routines as needed to help children remember them.

Schedule individual support time, practice with a peer, and extra time to explore for children with differing abilities or limited prior experience.

Managing tablet use

Strategies for ensuring safe and effective use of tablets vary depending on the number available and the educational setting. Some considerations to keep in mind:

Plan how to set up the device (as you would for other kinds of learning). Think about the number of apps and how to organize and display them.

Promote social interaction by planning pairs or small group activities that lead to peer mentoring, collaboration, and problem solving.

Help children wait their turn by offering a sign-up list, if appropriate.

Ensure balance between child choice and teacher choice.

Carefully monitor the amount of time children are engaged with tablets and how they are using them.

Remember-more isn't necessarily better. Helping children become thoroughly familiar with a few intentionally selected apps is a good way to start.

Increasing access to learning

Tablets can personalize learning for diverse learners, including dual language learners. The devices can help them learn new skills and become familiar with routines and activities.

Yiannis is anxious about riding the bus to school, but he is unable to express his thoughts or ask for help in English. His teacher realizes a personal story can help and uses the tablet to take and combine recorded phrases with photos of Yiannis, the bus, and the bus driver. Yiannis then learns what to expect in the morning and how to ask for help.

At lunchtime, Maryam does not know the names of unfamiliar foods and cannot ask for or discuss them. Using an app with pictures of food, however, she can look at the food item, listen to the English pronunciation of its name, and record herself repeating it. Through this she gains confidence and learns new vocabulary.

For children with minimal exposure to technology or limited English proficiency, the tablet can help increase comprehension and vocabulary. For example, a teacher can show a photo of a giraffe, explain what a giraffe is, share a video clip of it in its natural habitat, and further explore the topic through educational activity apps.

Assessing understanding

Teachers and administrators can use tablets to evaluate and document learning.

Teachers can save children's drawings, writing samples, language samples, or media projects, which are created and automatically dated on the tablet, showing progress over time.

Some apps can track and record an individual child's activity. Based on learning goals, choose apps that can track children's progress.

When observing children using different apps, such as educational game apps to practice counting, reading with e-books, or creating art, teachers might note something new about their abilities. This information could impact future teaching strategies.

Digital documentation forms can streamline the data collection process. Forms can include drop down boxes with a number of prepared comments, such as knows the difference between living and nonliving things. They are easy to complete and e-mail. In addition, the information is automatically entered into a database the teacher has set up.

Add tablets to the toolbox

The unique qualities of tablets can be used to help diverse learners, including children with disabilities. Caleb, who has cerebral palsy, lacks the motor skills to play with blocks, but he can stack digital blocks using an app on a tablet. While the goal remains to use real-world materials, the tablet offers Caleb valuable play experiences not possible before. Pia, a child with autism, cannot tell her parents about her day. Her teacher e-mails photos and videos of the various learning activities throughout her day that she is engaged in. After seeing Pia use a tablet in the classroom, her parent remarked, "I was not originally sold on the tablet idea. In fact, I was highly resistant to it until I saw what it could do for my child. Now I am a believer."

Tablets have the potential to be powerful tools for early learning. The choices we make about how they are used determine whether the technology is helpful or not. We need to develop "digital literacy" skills and decide how to use these new tools in ways that can support every child's healthy development and learning.

To learn more, keep current, and support conversations with families:

Review NAEYC's joint position statement with the Fred Rogers Center on technology and interactive media, which offers guidance on the use of technology with young children. www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children

Participate in ongoing professional development in all areas of early learning, including technology integration.

Track emerging research on the use of tablets with young children.

Join professional networks in person and online.

Take advantage of free webinars to learn from and with others.

Learn from your colleagues! Share successes and lessons learned.

Supporting Dual Language Learners

​One of the benefits of including tablets in your program is they can put language supports at your fingertips. Find translation apps for the home languages spoken by the children in your group. You will be able to find key words in the languages of dual language learners so they can understand the concepts being explored. Find nonverbal supports like pictures and video clips. Use them to make concepts understandable for dual language learners at the moment learning is happening.

Looking for apps? Check out

* App review sites.
* App price-drop notification services.
* App product descriptions. Read them thoroughly and look at the screen shots.
* "Lite" or free versions of apps that offer free trials.
* Recommendations from other users (online or in person).

Consider these questions when evaluating apps

* Is the app easy to use and engaging?
* Does the app connect with and support learning goals?
* Does the app offer levels of difficulty or custom settings?
* Is available feedback corrective and appropriate, rather than negative or loud?
* Are there options to track children's progress?
* Is the information accurate? (For example: do phonics apps speak the letter sounds correctly?)

Resources about tablets and technology tools:

Colorado Department of Education. "Results Matter?" Video project. www.cde.state.co.us/resultsmatter/RMVideoSeries_iPadsInEarlyChildhood.htm

NAEYC Technology and Young Children Interest Forum. www.techandyoungchildren.org

Puerling, B. 2012. Teaching in a Digital Age: Smart Tools for Age 3 to Grade 3. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf.

Shillady, A., & L. S. Muccio, eds. 2012. Spotlight on Young Children and Technology. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

The TEC (Technology in Early Childhood) Center at Erikson Institute. http://teccenter.erikson.edu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Touch and Grow: Learning and Exploring Using Tablets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Young children are increasingly using tablets (as well as smartphones and other devices with touch screens) in early education settings and with family members. This raises important questions, such as when and how these devices can be used with young children. Tammy and Rose, age 4, have been studying sunflowers with their classmates.