by Dr. Kimberly Field-Marvin 
Headmistress, Louise S. McGehee School

What is the role of play in the lives of young children?

Play is paramount and is the work of children. That is why play forms the crux of the Little Gate program at Louise S. McGehee School.

But you need not take my word for it, developmental psychologists and early childhood researchers have been collecting concrete data for years about the importance of play to promote healthy childhood development. In 1962, Piaget explained that play encourages children to explore the world around them and practice new skills. When children pivot into imaginative play, Piaget posited, they are actually synthesizing ideas and applying them in novel ways.

While games like peek-a-boo, hopscotch and “Simon Says” may seem obsolete, current early childhood experts are proclaiming just the opposite. Studies show that developmental discoveries through games like these build the joy of predictability and help children develop impulse control and expand their executive function capacities. In addition, play helps a child expand her vocabulary and learn to resolve conflicts. A recent article in the New York Times titled Let Kids Play, suggests that doctors should prescribe playtime for young children because contemporary children have become over scheduled. Further, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, recently tweeted the following article from the Herald Tribune, Play is Paramount for Early Childhood Development.

At McGehee’s Little Gate, students are immersed in a Reggio Emilia-inspired learning environment which offers an ideal space for tinkering, exploring, discovering, collaborating, sharing, growing, and learning. From our thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces–including a butterfly garden along St. Charles Avenue, a “mud pie” kitchen, and our wise Cypress tree “Windy”–to our classrooms filled with inviting materials that allow children to hypothesize, prototype, ideate, design, and create, our Little Gate boys and girls play and learn all day long! At Little Gate, the child is the protagonist, the collaborator, the communicator. We believe that a child’s environment is her third teacher.

Learning through play is our mission at Little Gate.

With over 27 years of early childhood expertise, Little Gate is the local leader in early childhood education. Our dedicated and passionate faculty are committed to finding the best methods and approaches for their students to learn–providing them with long, uninterrupted periods of free play.

Discover Little Gate for yourself!

Join us for our Little Gate Admissions Open House. Click here to register your attendance.

If you are unable to attend our open house, tours of Little Gate are available by appointment.

The Louise S. McGehee School’s Little Gate • 2343 Prytania Street New Orleans • (504) 523-9911 • littlegate.com

Little Gate is open to all qualified one- to three-year-old girls and boys regardless of race, religion, national, or ethnic origin.