Academic skills Essay

Academic skills atomic number 18 as well very much emphasised in Singapores educational policy as our government prizes meritocracy. Achieving academic excellence is binding priority for all school children in Singapore. Hence, many parents are tacit non in favour of a act upon-centred curriculum, as they fear this allow for not benefactor their children to achieve academic success. With ranking of schools performance and reading outcomes teachers and parents are compelled to neglect foregather in favour of more school-like activities. exchangeable to the American mount as mentioned earlier, Singaporean parents send their children to many enrichment activities to uphold them to be outstanding in academic studies as well as extra-curricular activities such as music and golf lessons. As a result, children are much deprived of free play. Many children have not acquired the fraud of making friends and even the ability to make friendly contacts (Tan et al, 1997)The forego ing examples attest that parental perspectives, socio-economic status, cultural factors, and educational policies are some issues that could negate the value and importance of play to childrens development and be viewed as having no real educational experiences (Leong & Bodrova, 2003, pp. 5). On the contrary, Hughes (1999, p. 109) advises that play is very often the context in which the needs of a growing child are substantial and enhanced. It is vital to the development of all facets of the young child personal awareness, stirred up well-being, socialisation, communication, cognition, and perceptual motor skills (Hughes, 1999, p. 62-64, 68-69, 81-109 111).There are numerous play processes that help develop these many facets in the young child. Infant games such as peek-a-boo, making funny faces in front of a mirror, and water play in bathtub promote adult-child relationship. Playing also encourages and strengthens awareness of ego and others thus, it facilitates the developmen t of a childs image of himself and others. Indeed, they are not meaningless play especially when adults play with children, the latter will comment adults more fun to be with it is easier to form attachment that leads to securely link children. Secure attachment is vital to the growing child it gives him trust and arrogance in his environment it enables him to venture, explore, and learn about his surroundings (Hughes, 1999, p. 196-197, Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2001, p. 77-79).Therefore, open-ended materials such as blocks enable the child to exercise spatial awareness concepts, perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination as well as pretend play and creative resourcefulness (Van Hoorn & Nourot, p.255-256). Children use mathematical skills and science concepts and ideas to further expand their creativity in their construction with blocks they will add details and complex structures to their block play (Isenberg & Jalongo, 1997, pp. 275-277). Children make use of their bodies and motor skills to move and stack up blocks that is unspoilt to their physical development and strategic planning.Much creativity, divergent thinking, and cognitive skills are developed as children engage in pretend play. Thus, children should not be viewed as just playing. Their minds and thoughts are actively involved as they prepare their own scripts and collaborate to direct their play. They plan, negotiate roles and actions, agree and move each other about the rules they have made. During pretend play, children get to suffice their social skills. For instance, when children are unable to agree to play hospital or grocery store, they compromise by combining both. Hence, children play and learn to line of work solve (Leong et al, Mar 2003, Rogers et al, 1998).