Offering play can feel challenging when mandated programs and standardized tests are requirements of many school districts, but play-based learning is an effective practice for deepening understanding and engaging children. The key is finding a balance between academic expectations and the developmental needs of young students. Teacher-directed activities and transitions are no substitutes for opportunities for exploration, creativity, and socialization. Making time for play early in the day optimizes learning and helps to balance a classroom schedule.
My students have a minute choice time within our literacy block each morning in addition to a minute choice time at the end of the day. The classroom environment is designed to engage their minds, meet their sensory needs, and offer practice with academic content.
Our classroom includes a block center, math center, science center, book nook, dramatic play corner, sensory table, felt board, and art center.
Many of the materials in each center can be integrated into more than one center. With thoughtfully designed centers, children flow from one activity to the next with a sense of purpose.
The art center is a place where children can construct all sorts of creations. Pine cones, tree bark, and other natural treasures are piled into the science center with an old overhead projector for light study. Letting kids play freely and make up their own scenarios and rules helps them develop relationships with their other classroom community members. Playing together develops the social skills kids need to participate in a community of learners. You might bring in dress-up clothes from the pioneer days, for example.
For your travel agency play area, you might focus your maps on a certain part of the world. Science naturally lends itself well to hands-on exploration and play.
Kids are budding scientists already, filled with natural curiosity. They constantly test out theories each time they interact with something new. On the playground, a child might try to have a rubber dinosaur go down a slide and discover how difficult it is.
These situations all relate to scientific explorations and the properties of the natural world. The idea of cause and effect is another big part of both play and science. Almost every type of play has a cause-and-effect element.
A child pedals a tricycle and it moves forward. Someone pushes a classmate on a swing, so the child moves. A student pours water onto sand and it becomes wet and sticks together better. Exploring cause and effect helps kids understand scientific concepts. That type of scientific exploration can happen at any time during play, but you can also direct kids toward learning specific scientific principles.
You might bring in nature items that they can feel, play with and explore. During a weather unit, you might fill your sensory table with snow.
When learning about the senses, you can bring in scented items to explore the sense of smell or instruments to explore hearing. You might make a playhouse out of cardboard with different fabrics and materials on the inside to test out the sense of touch. When planning your science play activities, look through the upcoming scientific concepts covered in your curriculum. How can you let the kids explore and experiment with those concepts? Examples of play-based activities for science include:.
The playground offers wide open spaces that are better-suited to active play. Larger groups of kids can play together without the space restrictions you might face in the classroom. The play structures on the playground also offer unique opportunities for exploration and learning. Kids often pretend that playground equipment is a rocket ship, boat or another planet. You can encourage the play by suggesting the area surrounding the play equipment is a moat filled with alligators.
Educational playground games start with high-quality equipment that encourages kids to be creative. If you already have playground equipment at your disposal, you can get creative with how you use the components. A slide helps kids learn about gravity or the steps on the playground can give them a chance to practice counting.
Activity panels add an interactive element to your playground. An example is a panel with a maze where kids direct objects through paths or a racetrack that lets kids move a car around the loop.
Another popular option is a gear-style panel. When students turn a crank, the gears in the panel turn. A driver panel encourages kids to use their imaginations as they turn the steering wheel and shift the gears. Other activity panels might feature letters, numbers, shapes, animals and other basic concepts. When kids play with these panels, they become familiar with the concepts and get to practice recognizing them.
Sensory play areas also complement the play-based learning approach. Sensory experiences engage kids and encourage them to explore further. A common option on playground equipment is to integrate musical instruments into the design.
Bells, xylophones and drums are examples of musical instruments that might appear. Another type of sensory experience is a spinning section with small balls or other objects that bounce around as the section spins. Varied textures on the play surfaces also provide a sensory experience. Themed playgrounds offer a built-in play scenario that encourages creative play.
For example, Playworld offers themes like nautical, castle and nature playgrounds. These themed playsets inspire kids to use their imaginations. They can develop stories based on the themed surroundings. Playing different roles within that story context encourages kids to develop their vocabularies.
Teachers can encourage language development by talking about things like the bow of the ship, for example. Playworld offers a wide range of playground structures and components that support play-based learning. The options go far beyond the standard playground equipment to include interactive elements and detailed themes. A new playground from Playworld is sure to get the kids excited for outdoor playtime, but we offer so much more. Our inclusive playground designs set us apart from other playground companies.
Creating an inclusive playground ensures all of your students can access the same opportunities to learn through play. A truly inclusive playground does more than provide access, though. It encourages kids of all ability levels to play together. Play-based learning relies on kids interacting with one another, so an accessible playground design helps support that idea.
This style of learning also focuses on the ability of all students to participate, regardless of their ability level. Browse All Products.
We can assist you throughout the design process so you get exactly what you want and need. We have a team of play experts ready to make your playground a reality. Input from engineers and child development experts helps us create equipment and designs that work. Financing is another area in which we can help. A quality playground is worth the investment, but it can seem challenging to come up with the funding. We offer resources for finding funding for your playground purchase. Things like fundraising, crowdsourcing and grant funding can help you generate enough money to get your playground project rolling.
Playworld also offers budgeting advice and financing options that can help you get what you want without going over your budget. Our phasing program lets you purchase and install your playground one small segment at a time. You pay for each segment as you go. If you prefer to build the entire playground at once, our leasing program may fit your needs. You have the choice to finance up to percent of the cost of the equipment, freight and installation for your entire playground. We can work with you on a payment plan that fits your budget.
Ready to start designing an ideal outdoor space for play-based learning? Contact Playworld today to find out how our playground components can come together to create an inclusive outdoor. From learning panels and sensory experiences to themed playgrounds that encourage imaginative play, we offer a wide range of options to help your vision come to life.
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Out of print. Judith E. Casbergue, University of New Orleans. If You're an Educator Download instructor resources Additional order info. Overview Features Contents Order Overview. Offers practical suggestions for embedding play in the curriculum — describes how to establish themes, activities, and projects , and offers prototypes for numerous centers. Provides practical suggestions for including children with special needs in play activities.
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