The presentation of J.C. Yiannoudis in 1st Athens International Conference "Play on Early Education" held in Athens, Greece, between 11-13 April, 2019

1. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
April 2019

2. Life-derived Learning (LDL) is a complete education model for very young
children, based on the play-based learning philosophy.
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Developed by Dorothy Snot preschool & kindergarten in Athens, LDL is
being tested and evolving daily for the last 7 years (2012 – 2019).
We did not re-invent the wheel. But we have built, hands-on, an integrated
set of ideas and procedures that assist children grow in Enthusiasm, Strength,
Confidence & Independence through Freely Chosen, Non-Directed Play, in
school!
The main idea is that children need to obtain the ownership of their school
life. We just Observe their needs, Respect their wills, Trust their capabilities
and provide them Right to Choose their own life framework through
Democracy and Freedom. We try to act as Facilitators, not as teaching
adults.

3. LDL has proved to be a perfectly working model with sky-high satisfaction
results within school’s community: teachers, parents and most of all,
children.
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
You can read all about it and learn its principles in lifederivedlearning.com
Or, even better, you may visit our Athens school and spend time in our
Dorothean community!
In this presentation we just want to share stories of how LDL works in our
school, through the ages: from babies (1-2 y.o.) to kindergarten (6 y.o.)

4. Babies: the sensory play
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Babies can not yet sit in a circle and make their own decisions (maybe in 10
years time they will...)
What do they need is numerous chances to start discovering the world by
themselves, through their senses, on a free will basis. To experiment, to
explore, to start projecting their limits & get thrilled about life.
So, teachers in babies’ class just need to provide more and more sensory
type of stimuli, indoor and outdoor, that may inspire children non-directed
play.
Remember: teachers are not in the class to direct but to facilitate play.

5. Babies: the sensory play
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
By providing
transparent film and
colors, teachers
allow children to
create their very own
vitreaux decoration

6. Babies: the sensory play
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
By doing the same on
bubble wrap, babies
enjoy both finger
painting & the
priceless joy of
smashing the
bubbles!
Their motor skills
start to boost.

7. Babies: the sensory play
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Playing with Jello is another
great type of sensory play.
Babies may even eat it, smash
it, combine different colors –
or even shower one another!

8. Babies: the sensory play
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
What is important is to ensure babies engage in
this kind of sensory play on a free will basis
driven by their genuine desire to discover the
world.
Teachers do not impose, neither direct.
They just provide motives & opportunities.

9. Τoddlers: developing motor skills
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Toddlers love to
use scissors.
Just a big white
sheet and
scissors in class
ensure hours of
non-directed
play!

10. Τoddlers: developing motor skills
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Cutting the sheet into
pieces, drove the class in
a discussion about
clothes. They are made
of pieces of textile, too!
So, parents & grand-
parents started coming
in school to assist
children in sewing
to make their own
clothes!

11. Τoddlers: developing motor skills
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education

12. Τoddlers: developing motor skills
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Children produced clothes at the end (!!), but this was not
the important part of the project.
Because Play was in the process, not by using the outcome!
The importance was in the process: play with sheets &
scissors triggered their need to discover how their clothes
were made.
So they did, took their play through the end & enjoyed every
single moment.

13. 3-4 y.o: assuming responsibility & setting rules
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
In one of post-
toddlers classes
(3-4 y.o.)
kids brought up a
great issue during
circle time:
“Many books are
ripped and pages
are missing, so we
can not read them
all right!”

14. 3-4 y.o: assuming responsibility & setting rules
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Teachers paid the
proper attention
and ignited the
discussion through
open-ended
questions.
So, a number of
proposals and ideas
popped up, through
children sayings.

15. 3-4 y.o: assuming responsibility & setting rules
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
This way, the final
question was formed:
“What to do when
someone tears a book?”
The two most popular
ideas were set into
voting:
1. “To bring another
book from his
home”
2. “To glue the book in
class”

16. 3-4 y.o: assuming responsibility & setting rules
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Voting produced almost
equal results, so both
solutions were adopted
depending on how severe
the damage of the book was.
Actually, repairing the books
in school turned to be great
play!
But, the big thing was that cildren ended up with a working solution, by
themselves. On a free will basis, they made their own decision through a
problem-solving procedure.
By learning how to set their own rules, children master Democracy from
very early and get into the path of becoming Citizens.

17. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
It all started because of an old
typewriter I placed into my office, just
for decoration purposes!
Since the very first
days of the school
year, some pre-Ks
discovered it and
started coming into
my office every now
and then, just to
play a little with it!

18. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Children that had
discovered the
typewriter started
talking about it, in class.
So, the teacher asked
them to bring the
typewriter in class, so to
present it to everyone.

19. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Indeed, a lot of interest
was created in class
about the typewriter!
What is it and what it
was used for.
In Greek, the word for
“typewriter” is very
similar to the word for
“sewing machine”, so
teachers brought in class
a sewing machine for
kids to identify the
difference!

20. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Kids were astonished to
learn that typewriters were
used to print letters on
paper, one-by-one.
They had never seen
anything but a printed paper
to come out ready from a
printer!
Their interest about printed
letters went sky high and
started looking all around in
school for them!

21. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Normally,
next step
for children
was to
decide to
produce
their own
printed
letters!

22. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Their interest
remained high,
so we bought them
their own operational
typewriter to play
with.
They started printing
letters on paper and
comparing them to
their own hand-
written ones!

23. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
All this play triggered
their interest on
writing.
They even started
writing by themselves
the school notebooks
addressed to their
parents!

24. Pre-K: discovering the art of writing
Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
They ended this fantastic
project, which lasted
more than a month, by
issuing their own
newspaper!
During all this period teachers
were just the facilitators
assisting children to take their
play into the next level.
It was a fantastic project arising from children’ curiosity about a typewriter.
We just allowed them to transfer their play into the real world, on a free will basis.
And we believe this is a excellent way to introduce non-directed play into a school!

25. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education

26. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education

27. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education

28. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education

29. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education

30. Life-derived Learning
a play-based approach
in Early Education
Kids really really strive to discover the world.
And all they need & want is play!
So, we just have to combine the above two
things and facilitate their play on real life
conditions.
Through this porcess is how they master
Freedom, Democracy, Self Confidence, Love
for Learning. And much much more.