The Importance of PlayBased Learning
The No Child Left Behind movement seemed to discount the
importance of play-based learning in favor of more explicit
instruction and testing in the lower grades. But researchers
and educators agree that play is a critical part of childhood
learning that should not be sidelined. Here’s a look at the
latest research on the importance and impact of play-based
learning.
The science of play
A great deal of research has concluded that play-based
learning is genuinely and positively impactful on student
learning and development. Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, a wellknown child development expert in the Department of
Psychology at Temple University and a Senior Fellow at the
Brookings Institution, argues that humans learn best when at
least one of these four pillars are present:
1. Individuals take an active role in the learning
environment
2. They are engaged
3. Information is meaningful
4. Learners interact in a social context
This means that children learn well when they are mentally
active, engaged, social, and can make meaningful
connections to their lives, which are all characteristics of
play.
Another study found that “in addition to improving play skills
and narrative language ability,” a play-based curriculum also
had “a positive influence on the acquisition of grammar.”
Neuroscientists have found that play activates the brain in
meaningful ways that rote memorization, testing,
worksheets, and traditional classroom techniques do not.
“When you are engaging in play, which in and of itself is a
symbolic metaphor in its truest form, whole parts of your
brain are engaged, developing crucial connections that lead
to a positive development of the child,” says Clair Mellenthin,
author of Play Therapy: Engaging & Powerful Techniques for
the Treatment of Childhood Disorders.
Beyond stimulating young minds to be receptive to learning,
play is a necessary component of brain development for
children. “Not only is it an incredible source of fun and
socialization, but play is also crucial to children’s learning
and development. Their intellectual, physical, and socialemotional abilities emerge and are strengthened through
play,” says Katie Chiavarone, blogger and author of The
Undeniable Power of Play: 101 Tips, Activities and PlayBased Learning Strategies to Engage Your Child. “It is in the
context of play that children test out new knowledge and
theories. They reenact experiences to solidify
understanding. And it is where children first learn and
express symbolic thought, a necessary precursor to literacy.
Play is the earliest form of storytelling. And, it is how children
learn how to negotiate with peers, problem-solve, and
improvise.”
Play-based learning is real learning
The assumption that play is a frivolous use of classroom time
and in opposition to rigorous instruction demeans its value
and its vast potential. “Many people, including some
educators, believe that we need to choose between playbased learning opportunities and rigorous academic
standards when integrating the two is very possible,” says
adjunct professor, Angie Stratton, M.A.Ed. “For example, a
kitchen/cooking center could contain a water table as well as
measuring cups, dishes and ‘pretend’ food. Paper and
pencils/crayons/markers, etc., can be used to write recipes,
make lists, and create advertisements for a new restaurant.
The creative possibilities are endless. Not only does this
play-based learning center address language arts standards,
but it also touches upon speaking and listening standards as
well. Intentionally structuring a play-based learning
opportunity to encourage creative play as well as include
materials that emphasize a developmentally appropriate
learning standard is certainly a high-leverage practice.”
Purposeful play
Play is not an obstruction to academic learning, nor is it lazy
teaching. Purposeful play experiences can be constructed to
create deeper learning experiences that a child will
remember and internalize. “High-quality classrooms that
utilize play-based, hands-on learning activities are wellthought-out, intentional spaces — not just a free-for-all
where the children jump from activity to activity and a
teacher is disengaged and spends his/her day managing
behaviors,” says early childhood educator, Tina Gabel, MEd.
“In an exceptional play-based atmosphere, there are no
worksheets to showcase understanding and learning;
instead, the formal documentation is gathered through
learning stories, anecdotal notes, and photo assessments.”
Lauren Harness, MEd, agrees. “When people say ‘playbased learning,’ I think what they go to is: ‘Just put them in a
room with a bunch of toys and let them go at it. There you
go, that’s play-based learning.’ But really purposeful play
should be in classrooms, especially in a kindergarten
classroom. In children’s brains, when they’re playing, they’re
doing the deepest learning. We know that through Piaget,
Vygotsky, and all those good theorists who talk about the
importance of play with young children. The different levels
of learning that they’re able to get into during play is a lot
deeper than pulling out a worksheet and having them fill in
bubbles and that sort of thing.”
The classroom space as a teacher
When play-based learning is done well, the classroom
becomes a teacher. “Play-based learning at its finest utilizes
the environment as a third teacher, in conjunction with the
students and classroom facilitator. A place where every
activity and object placed in the space has a purpose, adds
to the learning, and helps scaffold information across the
learning domains,” says Gabel.
“Play-based learning in my classroom looks like a small
group of students creating structures in the block area, while
others are working in the art, science, and library areas. The
conversation among students is about the new facade being
put on the building across the street from our school. The
students are recreating what they have seen outside of our
immediate environment. Another student decides to join,
where the children remind her ‘only 4 at a time in blocks.’
She then counts how many are already in the block center by
matching students to the fingers she begins to hold up, and
decides that she can join ‘because 3 and 1 are 4, right Mrs.
Gabel?’ It is through these rich experiences and
conversations that I am able to discern her concrete
understanding of whole numbers.” That sure sounds a lot
more engaging and authentic than a workbook quiz. Play on.
You may also like to read
Diverse Learning Styles in Early Childhood Education
Three Websites For Project-Based Learning
Explanation of Brain Based Learning
Early Childhood Education: Striving to Balance Play with
Academics
Early Childhood Education Options for Low-Income
Families
Teaching Children Kindness & Empathy Using SocialEmotional Learning
Tags: Early Childhood and Elementary (Grades: PreK-5),
Early Childhood Education, Engaging Activities