Space to Play
By Dave Strudwick, Director – Beautiful Mind Learning Lab
What is play and why is it important?
Play is a fundamental need and helps us explore the world physically, cognitively and emotionally. It is essential for very young children, when they are adventuring into the world and doing many things for the first time. It is a foundation for lifelong learning and well-being.
Neuroscientist Beau Lotto describes science as ‘play with intention’, where the scientist is creating a game and discovering something about the world through watching the game being played (See world’s youngest published scientists – Blackawton Bees). For young animals it is a way of learning and testing boundaries. Play is a vehicle for practising agency and being able to be excited by not
knowing. It is the antidote to passive formal learning as it is its own reward from which learning emerges.
Play-based learning is deeply rooted in educational theory, with influences from Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Froebel, and Vygotsky. It benefits from being given both time and a rich environment.
Time for Play
Play should not be rushed. Play and being playful can be built into everything from project-based learning to a history lesson. Here are a few examples:
- Playing at the start of the day or at the beginning of a lesson supports positive entry, engagement and agency. How you start sets the tone for what follows. Play at being the historian and guessing what an artefact is.
- Break and lunchtimes where children can make choices are great for many and hard for some. This can be supported by older children acting as ‘play leaders’ helping to turn a skipping rope or lead a game, building a wider vocabulary of games. Loose parts play allows for the construction of new spaces and new games at scale.
- Create zones of play activities to encourage continuous provision. Educators like Cari Dyson continue a play-based approach beyond early years using continuous provision to help children explore their world, take ownership of their own learning and be playful in the application of formal learning.
- Treasure hunts can be adapted for many purposes and build a special kind of energy through discovery.
- Discover design principles through making. For example, by building a spaghetti and marshmallow bridge.
- Be playful in P.E. and create new games based on a set of resources allowing children to apply collaboration and creativity.
- In a science lesson a child may ask, “What will happen if …?”. The teacher can help the child to be the scientist with open-ended exploration and a response of “let’s find out”, rather than pursuing the “right answer.” The child can play to explore, fail, discover, reflect, and try again.
Environment for Play
Reggio Emilia considers the environment as the third educator alongside the parent and teacher. How can we create and organise the best spaces for play? How many of the below could be used with older students?
Consider zoning of play spaces inside and outside the classroom
These spaces need continued attention and should change over time as you respond to children’s interests and motivations. Zones could include:
- Creative areas, where media and stimuli can be rotated.
- An area for board games and puzzles.
- A performing area with a small raised stage. This could include clothes and hats for dressing up and facilitate role play.
- Maths resources for counting, ordering and sorting.
- A writers’ corner or a writing shed where children can go to write by choice and without being asked. Provide clipboards for opportunities to write and record anywhere.
- Reading nooks to sit in quietly and enjoy a book alone or with a friend.
- Create a context – you might create a shop which may then become an airport lounge because someone went on a plane. Or bury broken pottery outside to replicate an architectural dig.Water, sand, and a mud kitchen give wonderful sensory experiences.
- A space for construction with big and small items – building towers, imaginary worlds, junk modelling…
- Add a little magic, a space to explore awe and wonder.
Storage to organise and look after things
- Storing play equipment for break and lunchtime outside
- Tools for forest school
- Dedicated space to organise and tidy the classroom.
- Can young people be involved in finding their resources and putting things away? Can they see where things go? Picture and word labels might help guide this.
Access Nature more than you think you need to
- Take healthy risks – climb trees, explore trails.
- Find a space to just be outside
- Create growing and planting areas.
- Explore forest spaces where you can try earth walk activities to exercise your senses and build a wow moment.
- Allow access to tools for making a whistle, a den, anything children can imagine… including saws, hammers, and of course a viking axe!!
- Make seating and / or a firepit for storytelling.
- Establish opportunities to notice nature – bug hunting, bird spotting, plants.