Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
PLAY IN SCHOOL WORK.
Importance of Regulating Games of
Physical Culture of Children.

From the Literary Digest
That at a certain stage in the education
OF the child. stress should be placed on
physical rather than mental exercise and
training, by regulating and systematizing
play and alternating it with class work is
the belief of Prof. Tyler, as expressed in
recent lecture before the Twentieth Cen
fury Club in Boston, reported in the Boston
Evening Transcript. He says:
I'VE have all noticed that children's plays
change as they grow older. Dr. GuIick tells
US that the plays of children under seven
or eight are non-compettive and non-co-
operative. kindergarten children play side
b. side or in pairs. rarely spontaneously in
groups. They are gregarious rather than
social The plays between the ages of
seven and twelve are social co-opera tive
ami competitive games, but each child usu-
ally plays for himself. After twelve group
aH:eS with opposing sides are more popu-
Others"
DIR. Tyler took up particularly the CO.
operative and competitive plays between
seven and twelve, such as tag hide-and-
seek and running games followed by va
rlous throwing games and others in which
''stumps" or challenges are the chief fea-
ture Inquiring what may be their educa-
uonal value. he concludes that it is five
fold. Firstly, these games or plays have
hysienic value, as they exercise the greatest
expenditure of nervous energy periods of
activity alternating frequently with periods
OF rest as Is best for the organism. Second
ly, they involve mental training focusing
the attention, requiring instant decision and
acton, and encoura ging self-reliance and
the development of initiative. Thirdly they
give the child This first lessons in the art
OF forming friendships, the grea test art or
science in the world" Fourthly, they fur
nish the first real and spontaneous moral
distinction made in childhood, that between
give a high degree of enjoyment-a very
important feature in all training. "Op-
portunfty. we are told by Prof. Tyler, is
a higher word even than duty" and op-
portunities must be enjoyed. He goes on
to say:
What we need is not to crush out play
or it's spirit, but somehow to get more
of the spirit and enthusiasm of the play
ground into our work But IL play is the
most valuable OF all forms Of exercise.
place and time must be found for II, even
II numbers and language have to wait.
But those who have had to do with half
time schools report that the children gen
orally make about as much progress in
half a day as In a whole one. The intro
duct:on OF outdoor work In our Industrial
and truant schools has not diminished the
acquisition of knowledge, 1t has rather In
CT eased 1t. The children are more industri-
Gus. amenable and contented
Under the present system the child ne
eessarily forms thoss bad habits Of study
or rather of dawdling over his books of
While at school he must be kept still or
there will be anarchy and disorder. He
should not and cannot. at this age. exer-
else his mental powers more than during
the time spent In class work. This gives
him more than enough. He returns to his
desk for book work Every muscle IN his
body Is tingling and twitching for exercise
But he must sit still. The problem which
he has to solve is really this: How To forget
his discomfort and remain quiet aud pre-
tend to look at HIS book and not &c do any
mental work can conceive OF no better
method of insuring that the child SHAH
form habits of dayding and calling Il
study After two or three years OF such
practice genuine study becomes almost or
n,,ite innpossible II play Is always privi-
iege and reward, and study always re-
o,iired duty can we wonder that the child
learns TO look upon study as an unnecss-
sary evil?
must be determined by experiment. The
best results require that the play should
h. at fixed times, alternating with the
class work. The same results cannot to
gained by dissnissing the children q half
hour earlier. and having them scatter 10
their homes School gardens may he
equally useful. Manual training and gym
nastics have their place and arc reedee
but seem somewhat better suited 20 q little
later age. But play has It's own place epast
from or In addition TO these. The ritai
point Il that at this age the erapssseIs
should be placed on physical rather than
on mental e4ercees and training.