The recent Global School Play Day involved students from McFall Elementary in Thornapple Kellogg Schools and West Elementary in Wyoming Public Schools. They participated in a day of imaginative play. The event aimed to balance the academic focus in kindergarten with the development of social skills, cooperation, and problem-solving abilities. Teachers observed that children’s play and imagination use has decreased with the rise of technology. They believe play is crucial for teaching life skills.
During the day, students visited teacher Jill Bouwkamp’s classroom to play with various toys. Activities included tea parties with plastic bananas and playing with Transformers action figures. The focus was on unstructured play, giving students the freedom to choose their activities.
McFall Principal Jon Washburn emphasized the value of unstructured play in today’s tech-driven age. He stated it offers a beneficial learning experience, fostering sharing, cooperation, and life skills development. The initiative’s main goal was to promote hands-on learning.