Learning Through Play
Supporting the Journey
2012 After School Training Conference
Cooperation Strategies & Skills
Tell A story about your childhood and play
Who did you play with?
What did you do?
What did you play with?
Where did you spend most of your
time playing?
How supervised were you?
Qualities of Play
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING…
• Happens all the time
• Is a natural way to learn
• Experimentation
• Exploration
• Example
• Empathy
INFORMAL
EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
• Harnesses the natural power of EL
• Is a formal way to support learning
• Can be a playful way to address learning
standards and skill building
Unstructured Free Play = Experiential Learning
Child-led (can have adult
participation)
Independent and nonscreen
Promotes intellectual,
physical, and emotional
well-being
Helps children learn how
to: negotiate, resolve
conflicts, regulate
emotions & behavior, and
speak up for themselves
Builds active, healthy bodies
Fosters empathy and
creativity
Provide toys & materials that
stimulate imagination
Recognized by the UN
Convention on the Rights of
the Child: Article 31:
“recognize the right of the
child to rest and leisure, to
engage in play and
recreational activities
appropriate to the age of the
child...”
Unstructured Free Play Examples
Climbing, running, jumping,
tumbling, exploring, biking,
walking, tag, skipping
Looking at and “reading”
books, playing with
puzzles, blocks, musical
instruments
Creating make-believe
worlds, with dress-up
clothes, pots and pans, toy
cars, and art materials
Indoors or outside
Alone or with
others
Guided Play = Experiential Education
Adult facilitated
Contributes to child’s
development
Is voluntary and
frequently involves
choice
Can have a point or lesson
Involves everyone
without elimination
Allows children to learn
and practice skills
Tends to be cooperative
rather than competitive
Creates shared
Experiences
Offers opportunities at
each person’s skill level
Examples of Guided Play
Musical Games
Games such as “follow
the leader” or “Simon
says”
Problem solving
activities
Scavenger hunts
Ice Breakers
Square or line dancing
Skill builders
Cooking
Blue Jellybeans
•
Eager
•
Shocked
•
Ecstatic
•
Shy
•
Embarrassed
•
Silly
•
Energetic
•
Smart
•
Enraged
•
Smug
•
Envious
•
Strong
•
Excited
•
Surprised
•
Exhausted
•
Suspicious
•What does [word] mean?
•How does it feel to be [word]?
•What happens to make you feel [word]?
•How can you tell someone might be feeling
[word] by looking at them?
Summary
• Unstructured free play allows children to
learn experientially
• Supports social, emotional, physical, and
cognitive development
• The main adult role is to keep children safe
Summary
• Guided play is a form of experiential
education that taps into a natural way to
learn
• Can be used to teach skills and content.
• The main adult role is to facilitate learning
through processing and reflection.
Ideas for Your Program
•
Schedule time for free play
•
Be intentionally spontaneous
•
Play with students
•
Explore
•
•
Add playful activities to concepts and
skills students need to learn
Notice instead of judge or value
Laurie Frank
GOAL Consulting
www.goalconsulting.org
Experiential Education
Expeditionary Learning
Outdoor Pursuits
Adventure Based
Counseling
Experience Based
Training and
Development
Simulations
Inquiry
Internships
Art, Play, Music, Drama
Therapies
Environmental
Education
Service Learning
Adventure/Challenge
Education
And
more…