Toys and pop culture in children's literacy

It is sad to say that in K-2 classrooms these days, play is being diminished as preparation for standardized testing is overpowering play time. After listening to Play with Disney Princess dolls and Childrens Literacy, on the Voice of Literacy, Dr. Karen Wohlwend, shares some interesting findings based on her research with children's literacy. I thought an interesting point brought up in the interview was how children are bringing in toys from home to the classroom and writing about their toys and games. Now that I think back on my experiences in Kindergarten classrooms I know many schools can be strict about bringing in toys from home because of issues that have been raised in the past. Sometimes children develop conflict among their peers with sharing the toys or the toys can be distracting. However, I think that if teachers develop certain rules and expectations regarding the toys, it can be a very useful and productive tool in developing literacy with young children. These toys can help children build on that imagination for their writing or story structures. Sometimes I think that telling students to be creative is a hard thing to do for children. The beauty of having children bring in their item of interest is that it gives the children an opportunity to have a deeper meaning and push their thinking to another level. As Dr. Wohlwend states, " theres not just one way that students are learning, using these popular media items in writing workshops are dense with literacy potential". When students are able to bring in something that interests them, it provides that internal motivation for learning and creating literacy. I think that as teachers we should all rethink the true value that children's play can bring to literacy.