Let them play! (Let them learn!)
If I told you there is a tool for learning that has been shown to promote cognitive, social-emotional and physical growth, would you be interested? If I told you this tool is as effective for young children as it is for middle level learners and even adults, would you want to know more? If I added that this tool is known to promote confidence, resiliency, creativity, imagination, and inquiry would you be clamoring to know just what it is? Well, today’s your lucky day.
As we return to classrooms this year, I thought it might be valuable to examine the role of play in learning. Very often, we think of play as superfluous, a pastime children engage in that best fits recess or physical education. But play can be a powerful lever for learning across all academic disciplines. This entry begins a series of posts that will examine the value of play in teaching and learning. This week’s post will examine the nature of play, how play contributes to learner development across the continuum of human life, and why play should be considered as an essential part of learning programs in the 21st century. Future topics will include:
· Types of Play
· Play and Language Development
· Play and Mathematical Thinking
· Play and Social-Emotional Learning
· Using Games to Foster and Extend Academic Content Knowledge
The Nature of Play
To an outside observer, the play of young children may appear frivolous. A child moves a stick through the air pretending it’s an airplane flying through the sky; a pair of children make-believe they are at a grocery store stocking up on food for the week; a small group imitates the morning school-bus routine. In each instance, children enact what they know to be true of the world that surrounds them. They stretch their language and their logic forward to try on new identities – playing with the actions, discourse and dispositions they observe in those around them. Their focus and stamina during these endeavors are second to none; it’s as if they’re in their own world, fully engaged in being bigger – and more capable -- than they are in real time. Anthropologists have found that play transcends cultures and geographic boundaries; it is a ubiquitous part of human life. But, what are the features of play and how does it differ from other life activities?
In simplest terms, play is inherently fun. In other words, if it’s not fun, it’s not play. But there are other features, too. Studies examining the nature of play have found it to have the following key elements: “cognitive spontaneity, physical spontaneity, social spontaneity, manifest joy, and sense of humor” (Bergen, 2009; Barnett, 1998). In its purest form, play is agentic. Those engaged in play choose objects, guide their own actions, decide who to engage with, and decide if and when to change course. Stated another way, play is what people do when they follow their own ideas, in their own way and for their own reasons. While many associate play with young children, play is a part of development across life’s continuum and contributes to humanity in purposeful and profound ways.
How Play Contributes to Learner Development
The value of play on learner development has been written about through the ages. Those who study education have long appreciated the contributions play makes to learners’ physical, cognitive and social-emotional growth (Dewey, 1944; Elkind, 2007; Froebel, 1887; Montessori, 1967; Piaget, 1971; Vygotsky, 1967; 1978). Perhaps no statement summarizes it as well as words attributed to Maria Montessori, “Play is the work of the child.” But play contributes to learner development well beyond childhood. The paragraphs that follow examine the role of play in fostering learning across the continuum of early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Early Childhood (ages birth – 8)
Russian psychiatrist Lev Vygotsky said, “In play a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself” (1967, p. 16). Vygotsky observed that children stepped up their game when engaged in play. For example, a child who plays the part of shopper at a grocery store practices being patient while waiting for the store clerk to get to his/her place in line. Children playing school bus demonstrate their understanding of bus safety as they play the part of bus driver reminding other children of the rules. Vygotsky (1967) found that play, while not the predominant activity of children, was the “leading line of development” during the pre-school years. In this sense, play fosters developmental growth more robustly than any other activity during early childhood.
“Play is the primary way children were designed to learn.”
Through play young children expand their understanding of themselves, of others, and of the world that surrounds them. They stretch their communication skills as they employ language to describe their actions and ideas to peers, adults, or even themselves. They build their capacity to act physically, cognitively, and social-emotionally. Through play, children try on new ideas, manage impulse control, and generalize emotions. In fact, Nohl found that a child’s greatest self-control occurs during play (Vygotsky, 1967).
Middle Childhood (ages 8 – 12)
While many associate play with young children, play is a valuable part of middle childhood as well. In fact, when young adults were asked to describe their most significant play experiences, they tended to recount memories from when they were 8 – 12 years old (Bergen & Williams, 2008; Bergen & Fromberg, 2015). Such experiences included long duration imaginative play, games with child-generated rules, and construction play (such as building forts or clubhouses). This stage is also known for risk-taking play during which children test their abilities to master new challenges without hurting themselves.
“The predominant emotions of play are interest and joy.”
Engagement in play during middle childhood fosters the development of social interaction, emotional regulation, higher cognitive processing, and creativity (Bergen & Fromberg, 2015). Children who play together learn to work together, strengthening individual and group capacity for skilled social interaction (Milchnick, Hirsh-Pasek & Singer, 2006). Cognitive gains observed as a result of play during this time include richer vocabulary, stronger curiosity, longer attention span and more agile perspective-taking (Bergen & Fromberg, 2015; Smilansky & Shefatya, 1990).
Adolescence (ages 10 – 18)
As children grow into adolescence, play cycles back and takes on many of the same attributes as that of early childhood. Adolescents try on new identities, play games, join clubs, and extend their voice and sense of self through participation in leisure activities (Caldwell & Witt, 2011). Whether playing in a rock band, joining a backpacking club, or being a member of a basketball team, adolescents fill their free time with meaningful variations of play. In each case, play enables them to express and affirm their identity, develop initiative and goal-setting skills, work with others, take personal risks, and contribute to society through their personal passions (Caldwell & Witt, 2011). Play also contributes to adolscents’ emerging identity as citizens.
“Play is not only our creative drive; it’s a fundamental mode of learning.”
Adults
Finally, the value of play in adult life has also been subject to exploration (Brown, 2009; Kane, 2004). On both personal and professional levels, people have come to recognize the contributions play makes to an adult’s physical, social, and intellectual well-being. The types of play adults engage in do not differ from children, though the variations are often more complex and competitive (Gauntlett, et al, 2010). Adult play fosters the development of confidence, resiliency, and increased competence in the domain of focus (i.e. tennis, theater, or gaming). Lately, even workplaces are tipping the “work before play” adage on its head, inviting “serious play” into meetings, professional development, and weekly schedules (Gauntlett, et al, 2010).
Why Play Should be an Essential Part of Learning Programs in the 21st Century
21st century learning has called for critical thinkers who can solve complex problems using creativity and collaboration. A quick glance at the benefits of play highlights the many ways play could help learners ready themselves for these demands.
Benefits of play:
Play is interdisciplinary.
Play fosters the growth of attention span.
Play can be social or independent.
Play develops and strengthens a wide variety of thinking styles (curiosity, classifying, creating, perspective-taking. etc.).
Play develops and strengthens social skills (cooperation, negotiation, and empathy).
Play is experimental and inquiry-based.
Play develops language and communication skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
Play fosters executive function skills.
Play supports the development of adaptive expertise.
Even with the benefits of play in mind, it remains clear that we can’t just let students play all day and expect them to meet the academic standards identified by state or national boards of education, which raises the question: How can we operationalize play with purpose to promote student learning? Stay tuned for next week’s post which will address different types of play and how they can be pedagogically employed to promote learning across grade levels and academic disciplines.
Works Cited:
Barnett, L. (1998). The adaptive powers of being playful, in Play and Culture Studies, Volume I: Diversion and Divergences in Fields of Play, ed. Margaret C. Duncan, Garry Chick, and Alan Aycock, 97 – 120.
Bergen, D. (2009). Play as the learning medium for future scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. American Journal of Play, 1, 413-428.
Bergen, D., & Fromberg, D. (2015). Play and socialization in middle childhood. In Play from birth to twelve: Contexts, perspectives, and meanings. NY: Routledge. 31 – 34.
Bergen, D., & Williams, E. (2008). Differing childhood play experiences of young adults compared to earlier young adult cohorts have implications for physical, social, and academic development. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.
Bodrova, E. & Leong, D. (2015). Vygotskian and Post-Vygotskian views on children’s play. In The Handbook of Play Studies, 371- 387.
Brown, S., with Vaughan, C. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. NY: Avery.
Caldwell, L., & Witt, P. (2011). Leisure, recreation, and play from a developmental context. New directions for youth development, 130, 13 – 26.
Dewey, J. (1944). Democracy and education. New York: The Free Press.
Elkind, D. (2007). The power of play: Learning what comes naturally. Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Lifelong Books.
Fisher, K., Hirsch-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R.M., Singer, D.G. (2011). Playing around in school: Implications for learning and educational policy. In A. Pellegrini (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of the development of play (pp. 341-362). NY: Oxford University Press.
Froebel, F. (1887). The education of man. Washington D.D., D. Appleton and Co.
Gauntlett, D. Ackermann, E., Whitebread, D., Walbers, T. & Weckstrom, C. (2010). The future of play: Defining the role and value of play in the 21st century. Lego Learning Institute.
Golinkoff, R.M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Singer, D. (2006). Why play = learning: A challenge for parents and educators. In play = learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth. NY: Oxford University Press.
Kane, P. (2005). The play ethic: A manifesto for a different way of living. London: Pan.
Montessori, M. (1967). The discovery of the child. Translated by M. Joseph Costelloe.
Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams, and imitation in childhood. New York: Norton Press.
Smilansky, S., & Shefatya, L. (1990). Facilitating play: A medium for promoting cognitive, socio-emotional, and academic development in young children. Gaithersburg, MD: Psychological and Educational Publications.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1967). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Soviet Psychology, 5, 6 – 18.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological functions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.