The Challenge of Time
Time is one of the biggest challenges for teachers who want to use play as the foundation for their curricula. Curricula may be divided into segmented blocks of time that may be inadequate for optimal focus and engagement. Consider children playing with blocks. Block building involves a developmental sequence of increasingly complex skills. If playtime is restricted, there is only a limited supply of blocks and props, and all the blocks must be put away at the end of each play period, children may lose interest in block building altogether. When they are repeatedly denied the time they need to acquire block-building skills, children can become frustrated or disinterested and the potential value of this play is diminished.