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Playtime Teaches Kids 'Executive Function'

Emphasis on developing 'executive function' helps control behavior

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 8, 2009 12:33 PM CDT

(Newser) – Preschool teachers are adopting new techniques to control students’ behavior that focus on impulse control, the Wall Street Journal reports. Seeking to counter a growing trend in rowdiness among young students, progressive curricula involve structured daily playtime during which kids take an imaginary trip to a pretend destination. Each plays a role—barber, librarian, or baby, for example—and must stick to the chosen role for the whole 45-minute playtime.

By forcing kids to stick to the rules of even such a casual game, teachers instill groundwork for “executive function”—the ability to exert self-control and focus on a task. It's a throwback to role-playing games of generations past, one educator acknowledges: "What parent do you know who opens the door in the summer and lets children rove around the neighborhood?"

Jeremiah Rodgers, 4, identifies letters as part of the Between The Lions Preschool Literacy Project at Vision Academy in Brandon, Mississippi.
Jeremiah Rodgers, 4, identifies letters as part of the Between The Lions Preschool Literacy Project at Vision Academy in Brandon, Mississippi.   (PRNewsFoto/Mississippi Public Broadcasting)
Teacher Amanda Morton reads a story to kindergarten students at Harlem Success Academy, a free, public elementary charter school March 30, 2009 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
Teacher Amanda Morton reads a story to kindergarten students at Harlem Success Academy, a free, public elementary charter school March 30, 2009 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.   (Getty Images)
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