When it comes to learning, let's not forget about fun

When adults think about ""school readiness,"" what often springs to mind are fundamentals such as knowing the alphabet and being able to count to 10, use a crayon and cut paper with scissors. Those are important skills, to be sure. But let's not forget about fun.
Research tells us that fun is serious business for kids. Playtime helps young children learn to solve problems, get along with others, express their creativity and develop their physical dexterity and language skills. It is through play that young children experience the joy of learning.
Brain research tells us that the first years of a child's life are a time of incredible development. But in a culture when the typical child spends more and more hours of her day in front of the television or computer, we don't always remember the power of good old-fashioned play. In Richard Louv's book, ""Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,"" he recounts a conversation he had with a fourth-grader named Paul, who told Louv he preferred to stay indoors because ""that's where the electrical outlets are.""
(Source: nwsource.com)