Play and Learn Science

Play is children’s work. It is the most meaningful and satisfying experience for them. Children take their play very seriously. Children are mostly interested in games and other play activities. They are attracted to play.

Children love their play not because it is easy but because it is hard. In play a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior. A child who does not play is not a child as play is the serious work of childhood.

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning. Play is training for the unexpected. Children learn as they play. Children who play well are physically and mentally fit and alert.

Play is a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. At various times, play is a way to cope with life and to prepare for adulthood. So, play is not a luxury but play is a necessity.

 

Play is an essential part of every child's life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood. Play promotes social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of children. The activity of playing gives children the following benefits and advantages:

• Increases their energy and self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-respect.
• Improves and maintain their physical and mental health and prevents burn-out.
• Gives them the opportunity to mix and socialize with other children.
• Allows them to increase their confidence through developing new skills.
• Promote their imagination, independence and creativity.
• Develop  their imagination, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and mental health. 
• Provides them opportunities for developing social skills.
• Build resilience through risk taking and challenge, problem solving, and dealing with new and novel situations.
• Provide opportunities to learn about their environment and the wider community.

  It is now obvious that playing is a source of learning and relaxation. It stimulates both brain and  the body. Play helps children how to co-operate with each other and encourages team work.  Play triggers innovation and creativity. Play makes children stress free.

Learning while playing is easy and children enjoy. Learning science becomes a joyful experience if play becomes the medium of instruction. Simple to complex and complicated concepts, rules, laws and various scientific principles behind day to day life can be easily filled in the minds of children through play way science.

Here is a simple ball game narrated. A teacher or a parent can perform it or ask the child to play in the ground or home or in a class room to make them understand the difficult concepts like kinetic energy, potential energy, transfer of energy from one object to the other and the underlying scientific principle.

Learning by playing is a self experience for children and has positive learning outcomes. Children acquire not mere knowledge but they also get a firsthand experience in the knowledge making process. So parents and teachers may practice such simple play techniques to teach science.

•  Which ball bounces more during collision?

Requirements:

i. One football

ii. One tennis ball

Method:

1. Carefully put the tennis ball on top of the football, holding one hand under the football and the other on top of the tennis ball.
2. Drop both the balls one after the other on the ground at exactly the same time. 

Observation:

i..When both the balls hit the ground, the tennis ball on the top bounces more.

ii. The football at the bottom falls dead. 

Inference

The energy possessed by the foot ball is more than the tennis ball due to heavier mass. Foot ball has transferred all its energy to the tennis ball. The energy has been transferred from the foot ball to the tennis ball during the collision, when it falls. Therefore tennis ball bounces more. Foot ball bounces less.

Scientific principle:

When balls are held up in the hands (before dropping) they have potential energy, i.e, the stored energy. When the balls are dropped the balls have kinetic energy, energy in motion. When both the balls collide the foot ball transfer its kinetic energy to the small tennis ball helping it to bounce more. Thus there is transfer of energy from one object to the other.

Encourage children to play such games. Let children learn science through such games to make learning joyful.