Exploring is learning

When I was a teacher I fought many an administrator over the concept that play is learning. That children need to have time to explore and experience things just as they need structured time to demonstrate the knowledge. On more than one occasion I explained a lot of my teaching methods and strategies as facilitating the learning process.

Now that I have a child of my own I look at this with even stronger opinions. I listen to people talk about teaching their 1 and 2 year old the colors, shapes, how to do this and how to do that. I just think... they need to play, they need to explore, they need to learn what they will learn. Don't get me wrong Blake is exposed to colors, shapes, body parts, letters, numbers and lots and lots more. I just don't sit down and say "This is red" "This is your nose" I feel it is a lot more natural to say... "You have the red truck." "Look that has blue wheels."

I have yet to sit down and look at what developmental milestones he should be meeting by "X-age" so that I can help him master them by that time frame. Now if I was worried that he was lagging behind would I be searching out where he should be, and where he is.... probably. But, this isn't the case. I watch him learn. I watch him explore. I watch him grow. I provide opportunities to grow and learn... isn't that what a mother does?