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| Play based learning and its place in the classroom
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Play based learning has gained significant momentum in schools nationwide over recent years. Now central to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) for Australia, it is described as 'a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they actively engage with people, objects and representations.'
But what does this mean in the day-to-day classroom, and is it important in a child care environment?
The importance of play
Play requires physical, mental and verbal engagement, with people, objects and ideas. It's process oriented and intrinsically motivating with its own reward of sense of pleasure and wellbeing.
Research also shows that that play shapes the structural design of the brain, creating a brain with increased flexibility and a greater ability for learning in later life. The active exploration that play provides assists in building and strengthening brain pathways, facilitating the development of motor skills alongside social skills such as working collaboratively, problem solving, reasoning, and lateral thinking. Playing is also linked to the development of resilience, empathy, curiousness, creativity and concentration. And most importantly, it is linked to wellbeing
When is play, more than just play?
Children learn more in the first five years than they do at any other time in their lives. So by the time they start school, their learning pathways are set. A lot of their learning is done through immersion – watching, playing, listening – and through experimentation of trial and error, under the support of adults.
Children also learn more and learn best when the activity has meaning to them; when it is interesting and fun. When children initiate play, they are more motivated to learn and explore. Empowered to make decisions, this fosters responsibility, self-regulation and confidence.
Within the framework of play based learning, the educator's role in supporting this play is vital. Educators guide, extend and evaluate the child's play to engage them in the learning process – experiencing success, failure and variable outcomes as they navigate through situations.
With music, indoor–outdoor physical activity, creative expression and role-playing, environments can be offered where children play together to construct, destruct and solve problems. By asking questions such as "Why did you choose that…?", "How many people are on the bus?", "What will happen if…?" children can analyse, explore and discover. As children grow older, this can be expanded to include basic literacy and numeracy questions and skills progression as they make signs, draw shapes, and craft their own environments.
Play based learning involves a high level of adult-child interaction, where educators navigate through the play alongside the children. Play takes part in a social space and educators need to ensure that all play is kind, inclusive and effective, and that children have the opportunity to resolve conflict, challenge unfair situations and experience diversity in a safe and supportive environment.
In our recent annual survey, in which almost 4,500 parents and early childhood providers offered their opinion on Australia's child care system, 73 per cent of respondents didn't believe that there should be more emphasis on education and less emphasis on play in early childhood settings. 77 per cent of respondents also decided that high-end services, such as language, music and yoga, weren't important. This shows that overwhelmingly play is the biggest priority to both parents and children in child care.
If this play can be engaging and guided in an effective way by an experienced educator, young children in childcare will benefit from both the play experience and the learning this brings, becoming motivated, enthusiastic learners, ready for school.
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