The Importance of Play-Based

Learning
By The Room 241 Team • September 27, 2018

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 well-known 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 social-emotional
abilities emerge and are strengthened through play,” says Katie Chiavarone,
blogger and author of The Undeniable Power of Play: 101 Tips, Activities and
Play-Based 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 play-based learning opportunities and rigorous academic standards
when integrating the two is very possible,” says Concordia University-
Portland 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 well-
thought-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, who
earned her MEd in Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood Education from
Concordia University-Portland. “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, another Concordia alum who also earned her MEd with the
ECE concentration, agrees. “When people say ‘play-based 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.

https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/play-based-learning/

As the new school year begins, many families are deciding where to enrol their
child in preschool or school. Preschools and schools offer various approaches
to early education, all promoting the benefits of their particular programs.

One approach gaining momentum in the early years of primary school

curriculum is play-based learning. Research shows play-based
learning enhances children’s academic and developmental learning outcomes.
It can also set your child up for success in the 21st century by teaching them
relevant skills.
What is play-based learning?
Children are naturally motivated to play. A play-based program builds on this
motivation, using play as a context for learning. In this context, children can
explore, experiment, discover and solve problems in imaginative and playful
ways.

A play-based approach involves both child-initiated and teacher-supported

learning. The teacher encourages children’s learning and inquiry through
interactions that aim to stretch their thinking to higher levels.

For example, while children are playing with blocks, a teacher can pose
questions that encourage problem solving, prediction and hypothesising. The
teacher can also bring the child’s awareness towards mathematics, science and
literacy concepts, allowing them to engage with such concepts through hands-
on learning.

While further evidence is needed on cause and effect relationships between

play and learning, research findings generally support the value of good
quality play-based early years programs.

Read more: Should we just let them play?

How does it compare to direct instruction?

Play-based learning has traditionally been the educational approach
implemented by teachers in Australian preschool programs. It underpins state
and national government early learning frameworks.

Research has shown the long-term benefits of high-quality play-

based kindergarten programs, where children are exposed to learning and
problem solving through self-initiated activities and teacher guidance.

In contrast to play-based learning are teacher-centred approaches focused on

instructing young children in basic academic skills. Although this more
structured teaching and learning style is the traditional approach to primary
school programs, research is emerging that play-based learning is more
effective in primary school programs. In these recent studies, children’s
learning outcomes are shown to be higher in a play-based program compared
to children’s learning outcomes in direct-instruction approaches.
Research has also identified young children in direct-instruction programs can
experience negative effects. These include stress, decreased motivation for
learning, and behaviour problems. This is particularly so for children who are
not yet ready for more formal academic instruction.

What can be gained through play-based programs?

As with traditional approaches, play-based early years programs are focused
on teaching and learning. In such programs, play can be in the form of free
play (activity that is spontaneous and directed by the child), and guided play
(also child-directed, but the teacher is involved in the activity as a co-player)
with intentional teaching. Both have benefits for children’s learning. To
capitalise on these benefits, an optimum play-based program will provide
opportunities for both free play and guided play.

In constructive play, children cooperate and problem-solve, engaging with mathematical and spatial concepts to design and create
three-dimensional constructions from their imagination. Shutterstock
Involvement in play stimulates a child’s drive for exploration and discovery.
This motivates the child to gain mastery over their environment, promoting
focus and concentration. It also enables the child to engage in the flexible and
higher-level thinking processes deemed essential for the 21st century learner.
These include inquiry processes of problem solving, analysing, evaluating,
applying knowledge and creativity.

Read more: Demand for people skills is growing faster than

demand for STEM skills

Play also supports positive attitudes to learning. These include imagination,

curiosity, enthusiasm, and persistence. The type of learning processes and
skills fostered in play cannot be replicated through rote learning, where there
is an emphasis on remembering facts.

The inquiry-based nature of play is supported through the social interactions

of teachers and children. Teachers take an active role in guiding children’s
interactions in the play. Children are supported in developing social skills such
as cooperation, sharing and responding to ideas, negotiating, and resolving
conflicts.

Teachers can also use children’s motivation and interest to explore concepts
and ideas. In this way, children acquire and practice important academic skills
and learning in a playful context.

For example, research indicates the increased complexity of language and

learning processes used by children in play-based programs is linked to
important literacy skills. These include understanding the structure of
words and the meanings of words.

Another study found children’s vocabulary and ability to tell a story was
higher in a play-based classroom than a traditional classroom.
Learning in guided play: teachers help children with educational tasks during play. Shutterstock

Teacher-led learning and direct instruction methods have their place in

educational contexts. But the evidence also points to the benefits of quality
play-based programs for our youngest learners. In play-based programs, time
spent in play is seen as important for learning, not as a reward for good
behaviour. In such classrooms, children have greater, more active input into
what and how they learn.

Research shows play-based programs for young children can provide a strong
basis for later success at school. They support the development of socially
competent learners, able to face challenges and create solutions.
http://theconversation.com/play-based-learning-can-set-your-child-up-for-success-at-school-and-
beyond-91393