While some schools may claim they’re moving from play and toward more direct academic instruction as a way to prepare children for their future careers, business leaders repeatedly share that soft skills are becoming increasingly relevant in the workplaces of today and of the future. In this episode, we’ll talk about how pushing out play also pushes out prime opportunities for building essential soft skills. Soft skills that not only enhance careers but improve life.
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Notes from the Show:
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Kindergarten Show Canceled So Kids Can Focus on Becoming “College and Career Ready.” Really. (Washington Post)
11 Essential Soft Skills In 2024 (Forbes)
Why Are Preschool Programs Becoming Less Effective? (Not Just Cute)
Learning More By Measuring More (2022)
Improving Social-Emotional Skills in Children Enhances Long-Term Well-Being and Economic Outcomes (2017)
Good beginnings: What difference does the program make in preparing young children for school? (1998)
Preschool’s ‘Sleeper Effect’ on Later Life (Wall Street Journal)
How child’s play impacts executive function–related behaviors (2014)
Intergenerational Impacts of the Perry Preschool Project (2021)
The persistence of preschool effects from early childhood through adolescence. (2018)
Progress and attainment during primary school: the roles of literacy, numeracy and self-regulation (2010)
A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety (2011)
Why We Play
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