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.
"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.
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 "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.
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