One of those things that look like complete pandemonium from the outside, but are actually imaginative development in preschool: children pretending to cook imaginary soup, constructing "spaceships" from cardboard boxes, passionately debating whether dragons can be doctors, too. Beneath the excitement and noise, meaningful developmental learning is happening. Pretend play is the way that young children make sense of reality, explore social boundaries and hard-wire their brains for creative problem solving. Pleasant Hill preschools that value imaginative development are carefully guiding children through creative experiences instead of simply letting them play without purpose. Ignoring the importance of imaginative play may leave unnecessary gaps in a child's growth and learning. Read more now on hassle free preschool registration.
The distinction between a program that simply mentions creativity and one that actively encourages it becomes obvious the moment you walk through the door. Do children have easy access to blocks, open-ended materials, and soft play items around the room? Is everything pre-cut, pre-labeled and pre-decided? After visiting several schools, one parent explained: "At one preschool, every art project looked identical, while at another, I couldn't figure out what my daughter created until she spent 20 minutes explaining it to me. That conversation alone showed me how meaningful the experience was. When children interpret and describe their own play experiences, they develop language, emotional intelligence, and resilience in uncertain situations.
Imaginative development frameworks are generally well-used in Pleasant Hill programs that integrate dramatic play into their programs and activities without making it a reward for the completion of "real" work. This is a very significant difference. Play is the curriculum and children end up spending more time in the creative flow state, working collaboratively with others, figuring out roles, and working through problems that arise on the spot that could never be captured on a worksheet. A child spending thirty minutes building a pretend veterinary clinic is practicing spatial awareness, empathy, sequencing, and communication skills. This goes well beyond ordinary playtime. That's quite a brain workout in a stethoscope!
It's not necessarily about the fancy art supplies and the Pinterest-worthy classroom setting that a preschool offers. The best imaginative programs are not always the ones with the most visually impressive classrooms. It has to do with watching to see if the teacher leans in when a child says something they don't expect, or if he/she brings the child back to the "right" answer. Teachers who encourage imagination by saying "tell me more about that" instead of "that's not correct" often help curiosity continue long after preschool years. While families in Pleasant Hill may have good choices to choose from, there are questions that can be asked when visiting to differentiate a truly imagination forward program from those with the "buzz word" on their brochure.