03/25/2025
And play doesn't mean "something an adult came up with and called it play." It means child-chosen and directed play!
Children are wired for play, yet we keep pushing early academics instead. What if giving kids a strong foundation has less to do with when they start schoolāand more to do with how they spend those early years? What if research supports this?
A major study of Tennesseeās state-funded pre-K program found that by third grade, children who attended were performing worse academically and behaviorally than their peers who didnāt enroll. Short-term gains in kindergarten disappeared, and in some cases, turned into setbacks.
Meanwhile, in Finlandāwhere formal academics donāt begin until age 7āstudents consistently outperform U.S. students in reading, math, and problem-solving. Finnish early childhood education prioritizes play, exploration, and social-emotional development, rather than early instruction, and the long-term outcomes speak for themselves.
The problem isnāt just when children start schoolāitās how they spend those early years. Early childhood isnāt just preparation for ārealā learning. It is learning. And the best foundation isnāt rigid instruction and early academicsāitās play.
Lipsey, Farran, & Durkin (2018) ā A study on Tennesseeās state-funded pre-K found that by third grade, children who attended performed worse academically and behaviorally than their peers who didnāt enroll. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.07.002
Sahlberg (2015) ā Research on Finlandās education system shows that delaying formal academics until age 7, with a focus on play and social-emotional development, leads to stronger long-term learning outcomes. Finnish Lessons 2.0.
