Should preschools teach all work and no play?

According to Marcon and other researchers, children who are subjected to overly academic environments early on have more behavior problems later and are less likely to be enthusiastic, creative learners and thinkers.

“You will frequently get short-term gains with a highly academic approach (in preschool), but they come with long-term consequences,” says Marcon. “A lot of early childhood studies only follow children to third grade. But when you take it into fourth grade and beyond that’s where you see the big difference. That’s when children have to be more independent and think.”

Learning should be fun
Deborah Stipek, dean of the school of education at Stanford University, calls academic preschools “drill and kills.” “I’ve gone into preschools and listened to children recite the alphabet or count to 100, for example. And people might say, ‘Oh, what a great school!’ because the children recite this information. But if you ask (the kids), ‘If you have three cookies and I give you another one, how many do you have?’ they wouldn’t know.”

However, Stipek doesn’t advocate for decidedly nonacademic environments either. “There are schools that are completely unplanned and unstructured, and I think we’re missing an opportunity there also,” she says. “I’m not entirely for free play, and I’m not for a lot of time spent on worksheets, counting to 10 or reciting the alphabet either. I’m supportive of learning activities that are intentional and planned, but fun and engaging for kids.”

Play versus academics is a false dichotomy, she says. “The idea is that at the preschool age, all learning should be fun. Adults should be intentional about the teaching, but it should be embedded in everyday life and fun activities.”

While Schweinhart agrees, he says the key to preschool sanity is kindergarten sanity. “I’d like to be hopeful, but as long as the kindergarten curriculum remains as it’s become, academic preschools will remain.”

When Senffner’s daughter turns 3, she’ll follow in the footsteps of her older brother and attend both types of preschools. “I think the child-initiated programs are more progressive. They teach autonomy and make the children worldwise,” says Senffner. “But parents also want to know, ‘What did my child learn today?’ You want to feel as though you’re preparing your child adequately.”

Victoria Clayton is a freelance writer based in California and co-author of "Fearless Pregnancy: Wisdom and Reassurance from a Doctor, a Midwife and a Mom," published by Fair Winds Press.

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