Some parents of young children may be concerned by the inclusion of word play in the teaching style known as play-based learning. Students, including our smallest, should be "playing" at home. They may claim that they attend school to study.

1. The Benefits of Play-Based Learning
for Young Children
Some parents of young children may be concerned by the inclusion of word play in the
teaching style known as play-based learning. Students, including our smallest, should be
"playing" at home. They may claim that they attend school to study.
According to Erika Christakis, an early childhood educator and author, the distinction
between "learning" and "play" is erroneous. Although it is often undervalued in kindergarten
and elementary schools in favor of direct instruction or seat time, play is the "defining
feature" of all mammalian development, and its "signature" is visible in the bodies and lives
of little kids who experience it: "Their life expectancies are longer and their social-emotional
capabilities are more robust when they have a chance to learn through play and deep
relationships, and when their developing brains are given the chance to learn through play
and deep relationships, and when
Children are not mini-adults. Nonetheless, Christakis adds, a predisposition toward adult
conceptions of childhood, with their attendant schedules and routines, has progressively
placed a stranglehold on our educational system, locking young children in educational
spaces that all too frequently feel dismal, joyless, and alienating. "The idea that there is
something valuable in being a small kid—with tiny kid desires and, most importantly,
needs—seems to have fallen out of favor."
ENDING THE CYCLE
Despite the obvious benefits of play, scheduling time for even the youngest pupils may
appear out of sync with the academic demands of the school day. Early childhood educators
are under pressure to adhere to stringent seat-time limits in their classrooms, and they
frequently believe that direct instruction is the best way to achieve the numerous curriculum
objectives that parents, principals, and other leaders want.
A new study suggests that there is a middle ground. A group of researchers from the
University of Cambridge examined decades of research on "guided play," also known as
play-based learning, and concluded that it has a "greater positive effect" on the acquisition of
skills such as math, shape knowledge, and task switching than more traditional approaches
that prioritize seat time and explicit instruction.

2. "By reimagining play as a spectrum with variable degrees of child autonomy and adult
assistance, guided play has been positioned as a'middle ground' between free play and
direct instruction," the researchers found. Because "play naturally cultivates their delight,
drive, and agency; while the introduction of direction by a supporting adult widens the scope
for learning beyond what the kid might do on their own," the learning is intrinsically rich and
meaningful.
According to the researchers, incorporating essential characteristics of play—such as
wonder, discovery, and student agency—into loosely structured classes that are gently
supported by teachers gives a "ideal" approach for students. According to Christakis,
play-based learning experiences should give children with a "consistent diet of free,
unstructured time and access to open-ended materials" that allow them to participate in
"rambling" narrative and plenty of opportunity to "mess around and develop their own rules."
PLAY WITH A GOAL IN MIND.
According to the Cambridge study, in a successful play-based learning class, teachers often
have a clear "learning aim" behind the play they allow students to engage in ahead of time.
During the game, the teacher should keep this aim in mind and gently assist the youngster
toward it.
Don't yank on the strings too hard: Maggie Sabin, a primary school teacher, believes that
teachers should not expect kids to generate specific outcomes. For example, instead of
giving children directions to combine certain colors, you could model one example and then
let them to make their own combinations to teach them how colors can be blended to form
new hues. "Be well prepared and intentional in your planning, but leave room for flexibility
and creativity," Sabin advises.
Structure your classroom with planned places or centers featuring materials, games, or
objects purposefully chosen for students to engage with and make sense of.
Sabin's classroom, for example, has a "tinker tray" containing items that appear random but
are relevant to topics or sections she is guiding kids through with direct instruction. For
example, during a unit on nature and natural materials, the tray is stocked with items such as
pebbles, leaves, or sticks that children can practice naming and manipulating. Through play,
the materials can also be utilized to reinforce early math abilities by simply asking
youngsters how many pebbles they have or how many pebbles they have left after giving
some to a friend.

3. OFFERING OPTION AND AGENCY
When possible, effective play-based learning should be child-led, with pupils having
"freedom and choice over their activities and play behavior," according to the researchers.
Their findings, however, imply that the level of autonomy granted to students in play-based
learning scenarios is frequently less than what is required to "cultivate children's agency,
drive, and curiosity."
Jessica Arrow, a kindergarten teacher in New Hampshire, often begins the day by giving
students 30 to 45 minutes of "choice time" to explore various locations in the classroom,
such as a block center, math center, science center, art center, book nook, or dramatic play
corner.
The items they come across are relevant to past lectures and the interests stated by the
students. For example, Arrow stated that after reading the children's book Miss Maple's
Seeds, her students were captivated by the author's process of generating the book from her
imagination. As a result, Arrow's art center provided supplies for students to construct their
own stories while also practicing speaking, listening, and writing skills.
Their bookmaking interests gradually crossed over into other fields of learning, according to
Arrow. One student, for example, made a number book. Number books were popular once
Arrow shared it with the class, and her students began referring number grids and
developing their own number books to assist them count and identify high numbers.
"My pupils were more engaged, driven, and purposeful after experiencing play-based
learning," writes Arrow. "The most important thing was that they were happier. Introducing
play-based learning into my classroom helped to build balance, deepen our learning, and
define our classroom community as a place where we could all learn and grow together."
WHEN SHOULD YOU GET INVOLVED?
Teachers should attentively observe children as they play in order to get insights into how
students learn and to utilize open-ended questions, suggestions, and prompts to gently
nudge pupils and stimulate deeper thinking. The researchers suggest that you intervene

4. "when a youngster appears to find an activity too challenging or too easy" so that you "may
help them learn beyond what might be achievable through unsupervised play."
According to senior teacher and Edmentum curriculum manager Winnie O'Leary, when
youngsters are playing with blocks, open-ended questions can be addressed to develop
problem-solving, prediction, and hypothesizing. A teacher can raise student understanding of
arithmetic standards by posing low-stakes questions like, "I wonder how tall this tower can
get?" or "I'm curious how many bricks you'll need to build a tower as tall as your friend's?"
According to O'Leary, simple inquiries can help encourage practice retaining facts and
distinguishing shapes, objects, or colors. For example, during a game of Go Fish, you can
question, "Hey, who had the number 4 in the last round?" "Hmm, what color card do you
need to add to the center deck?" you might inquire during a game of Uno. Strategy games,
like as checkers or tic-tac-toe, are excellent for getting students to think critically about their
objectives and how to alter them based on what happens throughout the game. Consider
asking, "I wonder what move you could have made to win?"
However, the experts advise using these tactics with caution. Finally, hints and queries
should not feel like orders.
Christakis agrees, telling Edutopia that she frequently advises instructors to avoid "checking
inquiries" like "What color is the apple?" Alternatively, "What are you drawing?" Instead, she
suggests that teachers ask questions like "Tell me about your drawing."
"The open-ended response allows for a lot of spontaneous and profound learning,"
Christakis explains.