Our grandchildren learn through play – it shouldn’t stop at preschool
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/123771/Transition-to-Primary-School-A-literature-review.pdf?sequence=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">transition from preschool to school</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a big deal for many children and parents. Over the next few weeks, many preschoolers will take part in a </span><a href="https://www.cela.org.au/category/around-australia/page/4/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">transition program</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, designed by their teachers, to prepare them for school.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They’ll meet their </span><a href="https://www.kidspot.com.au/school/primary/starting-school/what-is-the-first-year-of-school-called/news-story/d66b0b9a2a5d6959dd97c01328420028"><span style="font-weight: 400;">foundation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> teachers, spend some time in a classroom and hopefully make some new friends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These children’s education has so far focused on </span><a href="http://ceril.net/index.php/articulos?id=594"><span style="font-weight: 400;">play-based learning</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This means they’ve learnt through exploring and playing, supported by skilled early childhood educators.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But they’re about to enter a world of formal learning. Although play-based learning does happen in schools, there tends to be a stronger focus on instruction.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The current system isn’t working for many students. One-quarter of children who start school </span><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/educational-opportunity-in-australia-2015-who-succeeds-and-who-misses-out/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">aren’t developmentally ready for this transition</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/childhood-anxiety-australia-report/7214886"><span style="font-weight: 400;">levels of mental ill-health among children</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are concerning.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many educators and researchers argue </span><a href="https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3692&context=ajte"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more play in the early years of school</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> could better support children’s transition and learning. Parents think so too. In a </span><a href="https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/social-affairs/school-children-have-too-much-phone-time-not-enough-play-time"><span style="font-weight: 400;">recent survey</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, 93% of parents acknowledge the benefits of play and 72% said the first years of school should focus more on play-based learning.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we’re genuinely committed to improving outcomes for all children – and we know play benefits learning – we need to better integrate play-based learning into schools’ formal learning structures.</span></p>
<p>How do we learn through play?</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Increasing play-based learning in schools means changing how we think about playing. When many of us think about play, we probably think of free play, which is unstructured and directed by children, usually without adult involvement.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Play-based learning, though, is </span><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10409289.2016.1220771"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more usefully conceived as a spectrum</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, with free play at one end and teacher-guided, </span><a href="https://www.monash.edu/conceptual-playworld/about"><span style="font-weight: 400;">playful learning</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the other. In between are a variety of methods either entirely based on play, or incorporating elements of it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, a skilled educator can help children discover new ideas when they play with water. The educator might encourage children to playfully experiment with water tubs and toys in a way that allows them to develop their own hypotheses about how water behaves in certain situations and why.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The educator could work with the children to test their hypotheses, questioning and talking to them about what they observe during their play.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Play-based learning in the early years of school can </span><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/183693911103600416"><span style="font-weight: 400;">significantly improve kids’ language and social connections</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Research shows the impact of play-based learning extends into other areas of development too.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Quality-is-key-in-early-childhood-education-in-Australia.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">High-quality</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> play-based learning can:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">strengthen </span><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325171628_Neuroscience_and_learning_through_play_a_review_of_the_evidence"><span style="font-weight: 400;">neural pathways associated with learning</span></a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">enhance </span><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-use-play-learning"><span style="font-weight: 400;">well-being</span></a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">improve </span><a href="https://www.parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">memory and organisational abilities</span></a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">teach children </span><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329000371_Play_cognition_and_self-regulation_What_exactly_are_children_learning_when_they_learn_through_play"><span style="font-weight: 400;">self-regulation and problem-solving skills</span></a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">encourage </span><a href="https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/images/pedal/play-culture-article.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">creativity and critical thinking</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quality depends on warm and responsive relationships with skilled educators and an environment that facilitates exploration and learning. It also involves a developmentally appropriate learning program.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The skills children learn through play equip them </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/play-based-learning-can-set-your-child-up-for-success-at-school-and-beyond-91393"><span style="font-weight: 400;">to engage with formal, academic learning</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. When children start to develop and harness these skills, </span><a href="https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/play-based-learning/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">research shows</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> they’re better able to cope with the demands of formal learning and thrive later on in school.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And when more than </span><a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Australias-health-tracker-overview.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">70% of children don’t get the recommended amount of physical activity</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, play is even more essential.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many researchers and educators believe less play – inside and outside the classroom – </span><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/all-work-and-no-play-why-your-kids-are-more-anxious-depressed/246422/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">may be contributing to rising levels of anxiety, depression, and challenges related to attention and self-control</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For children experiencing high levels of stress or other forms of disadvantage, </span><a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/3/e20182058"><span style="font-weight: 400;">play can be a vital antidote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/supporting/deep-persistent-disadvantage/deep-persistent-disadvantage.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">links between disadvantage, poor health, changing lifestyles, and inequality</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are, of course, complex. But there is </span><a href="https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/18189/16/EPPE_TechnicalPaper_12_2004.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">good evidence</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to suggest how we approach education in the early years – particularly in relation to play – is an important part of how we address these challenges.</span></p>
<p>Australia’s school system downplays play</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australian Early Years Learning Framework</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> guides educational programs for children aged 0-5. It complements the </span><a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australian Curriculum</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which guides learning throughout primary and secondary school.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While complementary, the frameworks take quite </span><a href="https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3692&context=ajte"><span style="font-weight: 400;">different approaches to play</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Play is a fundamental component of the Early Years Learning Framework. In contrast, the curriculum’s focus on academic performance has </span><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/political-pressure-takes-the-fun-out-of-kindy-say-academics-20140506-zr5b3.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">extended formal learning to the early years of school and even preschool</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, despite the fact play-based learning is far more appropriate at these ages.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are a few policy options that can support more play-based learning in the early years and ensure it is integrated into education in the middle years of childhood and beyond. These options include:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22029435-000-too-much-too-young-should-schooling-start-at-age-7/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">starting school later</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (either by changing legal starting ages or parents electing to start their children later)</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/research-tested-benefits-breaks"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more or longer breaks</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for play during the day</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4jDZn2d3VrAenFUMGFodTBIaUE/edit"><span style="font-weight: 400;">extending play-based approaches into the early years of school</span></a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">integrating more play-based learning into existing approaches.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Increasing school starting ages by law would involve governments and parents meeting the significant cost of an extra year of early education and care. </span><a href="https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/social-affairs/school-children-have-too-much-phone-time-not-enough-play-time"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> shows most parents want less break time at school, and schools are already finding it difficult to adequately cover the curriculum in the time they have.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While some policy options are likely to gain more traction than others, there is strong support for increasing play-based learning in schools. This will require teachers, governments and families to all be on the same page about the benefits of play for children’s learning. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Kate Noble. Republished with permission of </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/children-learn-through-play-it-shouldnt-stop-at-preschool-126921"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Conversation. </span></a></p>
