Topics and Trends in Play-Based Learning

From preschool and kindergarten to elementary school and beyond, academic learning typically relies on direct instruction. But today, many schools are increasingly taking a play-based approach to the learning process, especially in early education.

To understand the ins and outs of play-based learning, we talked to Carolyn McKeon, PhD, faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Purdue Global. Read on to explore the power of play in early childhood education, why it's helpful for today’s teachers, and what the future holds for play-based learning environments.

What Is Play-Based Learning?

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC^®), play-based learning, or playful learning, is a teaching method in which children learn while playing freely (free play), with teacher guidance (guided play), or in a structured game.

Playful learning encourages children to learn by exploring, experimenting, and solving problems while having fun, especially when they're interacting with others. As the NAEYC explains, this approach means teachers act less as a “sage on the stage” and more as a “guide at the side,” facilitating the learning process instead of controlling it. Rather than viewing the student as a sponge for receiving information, the educator sees them as an active participant.

But what is play? Traditionally, McKeon says, play consists of the following elements:

1. Self-chosen: “Children need to be able to freely choose what they want to engage in, how they make and change the rules, and know that they can quit at any time,” she explains.
2. Intrinsically motivated: The child must choose the play activity because it’s enjoyable — not because they might receive a reward for participating.
3. Self-directed: “Play is often guided by what we call mental rules,” McKeon says. “These are rules kids develop internally. They decide on the structure of play, and that often leaves a lot of room for creativity, too.”
4. Imaginative: McKeon says imaginative play is when children “mentally remove themselves from the real world” to create pretend scenarios, allowing their creativity to take over.
5. Stress-free: McKeon adds that it’s important for play to occur in a calm environment. “A lot of the time, such as when kids engage in a sport, it can be because a parent wants them to, and there may be a lot of stress involved in it,” she explains. “But play-based learning has to do with the idea that it’s really stress-free.”

These qualities can lay the foundation for the type of play educators refer to when discussing, teaching, and implementing a playful learning experience in a classroom setting.

Forms of Play: Free Play vs. Guided Play

The modern classroom tries to bridge the gap between child-directed play and the need for intentional, educational outcomes. According to the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), play can range from highly structured (with lots of adult guidance) to completely child-directed.

Direct instruction, where the teacher guides students closely, is on one end of the spectrum. On the other end is free play, where children learn independently through their own chosen activities.

The SRCD study defines guided play as the middle ground between these two. In guided play, the student has some freedom and choice over their actions and play behavior. An adult initiates the experience and provides guidance via hints, prompts, questions, and other techniques.

The SRCD researchers explain that this type of learning is meaningful because play is naturally fun and engaging for children. When adults guide them, it helps children learn more than they could on their own.

Types of Play

Despite their differences, both free and guided play are forms of play-based learning. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP^®), there are several types of play that fall under these overarching umbrellas:

• Object play: Also known as toy play, this occurs when an infant or child explores an object and discovers its properties. Object play advances from sensory and motor exploration to symbolism, such as when a child uses a banana as a telephone.
• Pretend play: In pretend play, children experiment with different social roles. This can include dress-up, make-believe, and imaginative play, which all encourage creativity and can help build communication skills.
• Physical play: This type of play involves simple, physical activities that often occur during recess, such as playing on a slide or playing games such as duck-duck-goose or tag. These games can help children learn not to hurt people by tapping them too hard, while playground slides help build confidence in taking risks.
• Outdoor play: When children play outside, they have more chances to use all their senses, and they can work on building spatial awareness, balance, and other motor skills.

Mildred Parten’s Stages of Play

In her 1932 research paper, published in The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, American sociologist Mildred Parten classified six play stages. She theorized that children pass through them in a linear pattern during their first 5 years of age.

These phases include:

1. Unoccupied play: The unoccupied play stage is when children aren’t actively involved in any play activity. This can occur at any age but is most prevalent in the first 3 months when babies are still developing their play skills. Examples of play in this phase may include watching people walk by or looking out the window.
2. Solitary play: This involves children playing independently, typically between 3 months and 2 years of age. For example, children playing with building blocks is a form of solitary play. Solitary play enables them to develop interests independently and explore their own ideas.
3. Onlooker play: At this stage, children observe others’ play without joining in themselves. This typically occurs between 2 and 3.5 years of age when children begin to take an interest in other children. By watching others, onlooker play helps develop observation and analysis skills.
4. Parallel play: This occurs when children play independently next to each other but not jointly, even if their play activity is the same. It’s most common for children between 2 and 4 years old who are just learning how to interact with others.
5. Associative play: In associative play, children engage one another without following any defined rules or structure. They may share toys, take turns, and imitate each other’s actions. This normally begins at around 4 years old but can occur at any age.
6. Cooperative play: With cooperative play, children work together toward a common goal, typically beginning at 4 years old and continuing through childhood. For example, children may begin organized sports, act out skits, or play board games together.

The Importance of Play-Based Learning in Childhood Education

According to McKeon, aspiring teachers and administrators must learn about playful learning and its role in early childhood education. “There’s a lot that we can do as educators to help teachers build the confidence to allow kids to use play to create and learn,” she says.

At Purdue Global, for example, students in the online Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration program explore the various theories behind why play is important and how it works as part of the learning process. McKeon adds that students learn how to implement play-based education alongside a structured curriculum. This enables educators to examine the entire curriculum, set their goals, and strategize how best to build it around playful learning activities.

“We also discuss assessment,” she explains. “Students learn how to use observation of play to assess kids without necessarily putting them through standardized tests.”

Trends in Play-Based Learning

McKeon sees play-based learning increasingly used throughout educational systems in new and innovative ways. She highlights the following trends:

• Nature exploration: Inspired by the benefits of outdoor play and learning in nature, she sees more organizations holding classrooms entirely outside regardless of the weather.
• Child-centered curriculum: McKeon says play-based learning is increasingly pushing educators to move away from teacher- or parent-focused curriculums. “It’s a growing movement toward a curriculum tailored to children’s interests and choices, and play really feeds into that,” she explains.
• Technology: Today’s children play on computers and devices as much as they do outside, if not more so, says McKeon. She believes this is because it allows them to play freely without adult direction.

Benefits and Challenges of Play-Based Learning

Benefits

While a lack of play can be detrimental, playful learning can help children learn a variety of skills, including cognitive, social, physical, and communication skills.

1. Cognitive Skills

According to McKeon, play naturally helps children’s cognitive development.

"[Play is] really in their DNA,” she says. “It's what they're internally driven to do, and it can boost their thinking skills. Kids usually play to solve problems, which can help their brains grow.”

In fact, AAP research indicates that play can help build the skills necessary to support children’s executive functioning, which is the process of how children learn (not what they learn).

These executive functioning skills include:

• Paying attention: Focusing and ignoring distractions
• Self-control: Managing and regulating one’s behavior
• Problem-solving and mental flexibility: The ability to address challenges and shift easily between tasks

Ultimately, a play-based approach can boost academic learning outcomes. Compared to direct instruction, guided play had a greater positive effect on early math skills, shape knowledge, and task switching.

2. Social Skills

Aside from academic skills, the AAP study suggests playful learning contributes to children’s social development. For example, in physical play, children learn to cooperate and negotiate with one another. It enables risk-taking in a safe environment and encourages empathy because they’re guided not to harm others — such as when playing tag at recess.

3. Physical Skills

According to the NAEYC, play allows children to explore and make sense of their world while developing physical competence. Consider kindergarten building blocks, for example.

“We can give kids a bunch of blocks, and so much comes of it,” McKeon explains. “Not only do they help students learn how to share with others, but they’re a useful tool for understanding deeper concepts — such as how building a structure too tall could cause it to tumble over. This can help children learn balance, symmetry, and spatial awareness at a young age.”

4. Communication Skills

Play-based learning also aids language development. Pretend play activities, such as dress-up or make-believe, encourage the use of more sophisticated language to communicate with playmates.

5. Positive Learning Experience

McKeon believes that letting children play because they enjoy it makes learning more enjoyable for them. “Play promotes growth for the child,” she explains. “It’s not just separated into language skills, social skills, or physical skills — it brings everything together.”

Challenges

Implementing a play-based approach isn’t always simple. McKeon says one of the biggest barriers is resistance to change.

"We're so accustomed to traditional methods of teaching that we resist the idea that there may be another way to do it,” she says.

She adds that curriculum constraints are also an obstacle. Teachers have to cover certain subjects, but play can’t necessarily help with all of them. McKeon says educators should be trained to understand when and where play-based activities are most effective and how to balance structure and freedom in the classroom.

There’s also the problem of segmentation, she says. Many educational institutions segment time to the point where children often don’t have long enough for meaningful play — just as they get started, it’s time to move on to the next lesson. Addressing these challenges will require greater teacher and parental understanding, she says.

“We have to change the way we think about play as not just something we engage in for fun,” McKeon shares. “It’s the missing piece of the puzzle to help our younger children get ahead.”

Learn About Play-Based Learning at Purdue Global

Are you interested in how playful learning can shape early childhood education? If so, you can explore this topic further in Purdue Global’s online bachelor’s degree in early childhood administration.

Request more information today.