A day at the beach: Deep learning for a child | Pediatrics - Medical Xpress

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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The beach offers a wide open playscape where children are fueled by curiosity, as Medical Xpress reports.

Memories and the experiences gained through play are foundational to one’s lifelong learning.
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Whether at the beach or elsewhere outdoors, it helps to take a moment to see the world through the lens of a child who is discovering the world anew, and slow down to be present. 

Part of what happens through children's play is the exhilaration of making choices. These choices, and their consequences, are part of the child's emerging sense of agency and identity.
Children's inquisitive minds crave opportunities that allow them to become designers, builders, mathematicians and innovators of their world.
Sand sculptures crumble, but both memories and the experiences gained through play are foundational to one's lifelong learning. As a parent or guardian, you can support the deep learning that happens through play throughout your child's day, and later when you revisit treasured memories...

Experiencing setbacks is a natural part of life, and when children try again or try something in a new way, they build their perseverance in addition to developing self-regulation. Learning and life are all about overcoming challenges, so understanding how to regulate oneself is foundational for psychological, physical, behavioral and educational well-being.

Stuart Shanker, professor emeritus at York University in psychology and philosophy, and an expert in self-regulation, summarizes self-regulation as "the way in which people manage stresses in their lives." 
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Source: Medical Xpress