Play for Gifted Fifth and Sixth Graders
Play should not be limited exclusively to gifted students as all students need to have a balance of academics and play. Gifted students enjoy play similar to all students. However, Sally Beisser, Wilson Gillespie, Valerie Thacker (2012) state that “Play has a primary role as serving as a stress reliever for gifted students” (p.31). After school schedules typically are organized by parents with back to back activities. Students need time in the day to have a break from structured activities. Therefore, “Child-directed free play should occur on a daily basis during the school day” (Beisser et al.,2012). Adults should be involved in child-directed free play on the child’s term. Adults have an important role of monitoring play and mediating when needed.
Bogdan and Biklen (as cited in Beisser et al.,2012) conducted a study involving a survey which shows the preferred activities of play for females and males living in urban, suburban, and rural areas (pg.31). The preferred activities include three categories: cognitive play, physical play, and social play. Cognitive play includes board games, thinking puzzles, brain teasers, chess, and piece puzzles. Physical play includes unstructured activities after school, games with rules, playing outside, organized team sports, and physical education. Social play includes being with few friends, talking with friends, playing outside with friends, playing with family members, and being with a big group of friends.
The results of this survey from Beisser, Gillespie, and Thacker (2012) discovered the following:
Outside play was enjoyed by both females and males. Such types of outside play were enjoyed by 80% of rural and suburban children compared with 53% of urban children. The survey revealed that females preferred social play, whereas male preferred physical play. (p.30)
Therefore, social and physical play are both necessary on a regular day basis in the classroom. Social and physical play are both represented through outside play. Teachers in both rural and urban areas should be mindful that their students enjoy outside play. In rural areas, less distractions surround students. Furthermore, the percentage of students who enjoy outside play is significantly higher than students in urban areas.
The article found that 20% of comments included words such as cranky, crabby, unhappy, frustrated, mad, or sad. Boredom and excess energy were also reported outcomes of lack of play (Beisser et al.,2012 p.31). Thus, students are forced to suppress these feelings during the math lesson or students may choose to act out. After sitting in class for long periods of time, children start to get antsy. However, play gives children the opportunity to relieve energy allowing children to focus more in class.
Play should not be limited exclusively to gifted students as all students need to have a balance of academics and play. Gifted students enjoy play similar to all students. However, Sally Beisser, Wilson Gillespie, Valerie Thacker (2012) state that “Play has a primary role as serving as a stress reliever for gifted students” (p.31). After school schedules typically are organized by parents with back to back activities. Students need time in the day to have a break from structured activities. Therefore, “Child-directed free play should occur on a daily basis during the school day” (Beisser et al.,2012). Adults should be involved in child-directed free play on the child’s term. Adults have an important role of monitoring play and mediating when needed.
Bogdan and Biklen (as cited in Beisser et al.,2012) conducted a study involving a survey which shows the preferred activities of play for females and males living in urban, suburban, and rural areas (pg.31). The preferred activities include three categories: cognitive play, physical play, and social play. Cognitive play includes board games, thinking puzzles, brain teasers, chess, and piece puzzles. Physical play includes unstructured activities after school, games with rules, playing outside, organized team sports, and physical education. Social play includes being with few friends, talking with friends, playing outside with friends, playing with family members, and being with a big group of friends.
The results of this survey from Beisser, Gillespie, and Thacker (2012) discovered the following:
Outside play was enjoyed by both females and males. Such types of outside play were enjoyed by 80% of rural and suburban children compared with 53% of urban children. The survey revealed that females preferred social play, whereas male preferred physical play. (p.30)
Therefore, social and physical play are both necessary on a regular day basis in the classroom. Social and physical play are both represented through outside play. Teachers in both rural and urban areas should be mindful that their students enjoy outside play. In rural areas, less distractions surround students. Furthermore, the percentage of students who enjoy outside play is significantly higher than students in urban areas.
The article found that 20% of comments included words such as cranky, crabby, unhappy, frustrated, mad, or sad. Boredom and excess energy were also reported outcomes of lack of play (Beisser et al.,2012 p.31). Thus, students are forced to suppress these feelings during the math lesson or students may choose to act out. After sitting in class for long periods of time, children start to get antsy. However, play gives children the opportunity to relieve energy allowing children to focus more in class.