There are many things that have been studied and researched when it comes to early childhood development and education. One thing that I would like the opportunity to research and encourage as an Early Childhood Professional is how play impacts children. I would like to see parents, or primary caregivers taking one hour a day to spend focused on and engaged with their child/children. This means actively playing with and spending time with them. This would not include watching television, playing on the computer, or on a phone. The parent would sit down and play one on one with their child. I would like to see how the children would benefit from something such as this. I understand that one hour does not seem like very much time, but in today's society I think that most children do not get this much uninterrupted time with their parents.
Some of the benefits that I think I would see in a situation such as this would be children and parents who form better relationships between each other, as well as with their peers. I feel that children would also be more confident, creative, and perform better academically. I am not against technology, but I feel that televisions, computers, and cell phones are becoming babysitters and entertainers, and the parents are observing instead of engaging. Another benefit that I would see from a study such as this is parents seeing the positives of spending the time with their children, and them continuing to spend time with their children even after the study is over. I would also hope that other parents will see the benefits and want to spend more time with their children.
