Play is important for children.

However, what’s missing from this important idea, a new report says, is a clear understanding of how play can be an effective learning strategy in early childhood settings – and how best to share this concept with the public.

The report – “The Role of Play in Designing Effective Early Learning Environments and Systems” – explores “questions and debates” about play by drawing on interviews with experts and stakeholders. 

The report is the capstone project of Yael Schick, a Saul Zaentz Fellow and recent graduate of the Ed. M in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Strategies for Children served as the host site for Yael and offered project guidance.

Guiding questions for this project include:

• What is play, and what makes an early childhood program “play-based?”

• Why does play remain a divisive issue? What are the misunderstandings and misconceptions about play-based pedagogy?

• How do we ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn through play? And,

• How must we communicate with policymakers, practitioners, and parents about the effects of play in young children’s learning and development?

While there are no set definitions of play or play-based learning, there is a great deal of useful research on these topics. Among the findings:

• “Guided play had a greater positive effect on early math skills than direct instruction,” and

• “There is a complex and reciprocal relationship between the development of play skills and the development of problem-solving skills.”

A key goal, the report says, is figuring out how to share this research-based “science of play” with policymakers in “sticky” ways. Specifically:

“While it is unlikely that a policymaker will read a full study that examines how rats’ brains are stimulated by play and how this helps us better understand how play impacts human cognitive development, that same policymaker could very much be swayed by receiving a one-page illustration which depicts the study’s key takeaways.”

This is particularly important work since most adults cannot remember their own preschool experiences.

The report also calls for rethinking professional development programs.

“Professional development, in the form of coaching, workshops, or professional learning communities, can help educators bring play fully into their learning spaces, and use play-based teaching to support students’ learning and development.”

“However, many interviewees pointed to the fact that professional development must extend beyond the classroom, and be brought to school administrators, district leaders, and even to families and broader members of the community.”

This sweeping outreach would give play more credibility among more stakeholders.

Another key aspect of play, the report says, is that it can be anti-racist.

“There is an ingrained cultural belief that children who come from privileged ‘literacy rich, homes can benefit from a play-based environment, but that other children— those who come from low-income communities, are English language learners, have any type of disability, or have faced any form of adversity— are in need of a more academically rigorous preschool setting.”

“It is critical that we acknowledge the fact that it is children of color who are most likely to be denied the opportunity to play, and to be placed in an environment of ‘drill and kill’ worksheets and rote learning. The issue must be considered part of anti-racist education. Black and Brown children must be in learning environments which offer them opportunities to have agency in their learning, and to have deep-learning experiences through rich, high-level play.”

There are many additional questions to ask about play, the report says, including how best to measure and analyze play and its instructional effectiveness as well as how to ensure that play-based teaching is understood and respected. Another question: “How do we ensure that this work leads to policymakers seeing that preschools need more resources, not fewer?”

As the report concludes:

“Play is not just a need, but a fundamental right of childhood. To fully integrate play-based learning into the early education and care landscape, better communication is needed to shift the cultural understanding of play.”