You say childhood and there’s playing, running, building, imagining, creating, all of it that comes to mind. And if this can be used rightly, the educators can shape the future of young minds completely. And the play based learning theory is again a well-researched approach which recognizes play as the most natural and effective way for children to learn. This way curiosity gets a chance to explore, understand and find a purpose.
And in today’s era, the play based learning has become quite significant when it comes to early childhood education, because under the framework of National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage, the focus is shifting to experiential and joyful learning.
Play based learning has been suggested by the early educational philosophers and psychologists who studies on how children grow, think, and make sense of the world. With time, these researches shaped the structures approach that eventually came to be known as a play-based learning theory. The most important ones are as follows:
In the 19th century, Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, introduced the concept of “kindergarten” which actually means “a garden for children”. His idea was that play is central to a child’s development and as per this idea, he designed the educational play materials which were called Froebel’s Gifts (such as blocks, balls, spheres, cubes, rings, sticks and more). His philosophy was simple yet impactful that children should connect with the world, express themselves, and learn naturally, all through play.
The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget explored how play shapes a child’s cognitive development. He shared that children move through different stages of learning (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational) and that play helps them transition between these stages. For Piaget, play was a practice ground where children get to test ideas, solve problems, and build logic. Like introducing stacking blocks to their play was not just for fun but also to shape their mathematical thinking.
He is a Russian psychologist who emphasized on the social aspect of the play and introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) which is a difference between what a child can do alone and what they can achieve with guidance. According to him, play makes children stretch their abilities and take on new roles, most of the time by imitating adults. Like when they play with kitchen sets, doctor sets, etc, they get to practice real-life skills while understanding how things work in actuality.
She is an Italian physician and educator who blended play with independence and designed environments where children would get to choose the activity they want, manipulate the objects as per them and learn by doing things. So even though her means emphasized “work” rather than “play”, her approach emphasized that hands-on learning, curiosity, and exploration are essential for a child’s growth.
The American philosopher advocated the concept of experiential learning where education should be rooted in real life experiences and mentioned that play was a meaningful way to align knowledge with action. For Dewey, classrooms should not be about rote memorization but of active participation of children when learning in classrooms.
From Froebel’s structured play materials to Vygotsky’s social interactions, all the thinkers have built the theoretical backbone of play based learning and have highlighted a few key points like:
- Play is a natural mode of exploration.
- Play is a bridge between their imagination and real-world learning.
- Play is an effective tool for developing cognitive, social, and emotional skills.
And because of these foundations, play-based learning thrived even today because it is not just a suggestion but a science-backed guidance for the foundational education to be more relevant and significant in adding to the value of the pre primary learning.
With the application of the play based learning theory, the power of play can be well understood. It has led to many benefits in the development of young minds adding value to the pre primary education. Here are a few benefits of play based learning theory,
Learning while playing has made children learn problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. There are simple games like puzzles or building blocks that have fostered logical reasoning and innovation, shaping the young minds better.
Learning through play has also encouraged collaboration, sharing, and conflict resolution among the kids in pre primary classes. They get to learn empathy and communication, when they play in groups, improving their team working skills.
With storytelling, role play, and games that make them pretend as if they are conversing helps in building their vocabulary, comprehension, and expression.
Foundational learning also includes outdoor play and hands-on activities that adds in improving their fine and gross motor skills, helping them build their physical strength alongside their mental development.
When kids are asked to sit and study vs learn and play, kids become more joyful as they get to answer their curiosity while playing instead of fearing that they do not remember answers, which in turn motivates them to keep learning and builds confidence.
In current times, education systems worldwide acknowledge experiential learning as necessary. Even in India, NEP 2020 suggests that learning must be engaging and joyful. In fact, the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage recommends play based pedagogy for children aged 3-8.
So whether you are a school, educator, or parents, play-based learning is the future for your child because it does not just provide knowledge but makes them compatible with real-life learning.
