Tips for Supporting Play in the Classroom
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Cultivate a classroom environment that promotes community and citizenship
Building trusting relationships with teachers and peers allows students to feel confident and safe voicing their ideas, knowing that they will be valued by others. This is also necessary as they step into different roles while playing and provide direction for their peers.
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Teach social strategies for play
Explicitly teach students social strategies for entering, exiting, and participating in different forms of play.
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Prepare the environment and their minds for play
Provide rich and stimulating materials within the classroom to create interest and engagement in play. Scaffold children's imagination by building foundations with stories and interesting information about the world.
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Experiment with multiage groupings
If the setting allows for it, create times where children of different ages can play together. This can strengthen the sense of community and belonging for the students. It also can be an opportunity for children to learn from each other's play. Younger students will benefit from learning from the older student's more advanced sociodramatic play, and the older students can experience more sensory-driven play.
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Trust children as they play
Resist the temptation to interrupt play continuously. Instead, engage in careful observation before interrupting or interacting to understand the play context. During play, the child's main goal is to continue playing, so focus any interruptions on supporting that goal. Free play can also appear chaotic to adults at times, so a release of some control is often required on the part of the adult. It can be necessary to let children experiment with using materials and spaces in new or atypical ways.
But what about academics and standards?
The focus on assessments, grades, and standards can make it seem like you have to choose between play or learning. However, play is the natural medium that young children learn through. By viewing play and learning with a holistic perspective, rather than as opposites, you may find more opportunities for play in your classroom and curriculum.
Types
Free Play
Examples
Free play is completely child-directed, with little to no teacher involvement.
Inquiry Play
Inquiry is child-initiated and the child still holds most of the control over the play. Based off of the child's lead and interests, the teacher extends play by integrating academic concepts.
Collaborative Play
Collaborative play involves a shared control between the child and the teacher. The context of play is created together, and the teacher directs the academic outcomes while the child directs the play. The teacher provides guidance and focuses their extension the academic skills targeted.
Playful Learning
Playful learning is teacher-led with prescribed activities that target learning specific skills in engaging ways. Children still hold some control as they have influence over the play narrative.
Learning Through Games
Learning through games uses a teacher-directed process to help children learn specific outcomes. Children follow the rules of the game to play.
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Building with blocks
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Playing with Play-Doh
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Playing with cars, animals, etc.
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The teacher facilities a child's questioning and investigation into which ball rolls down the ramp the fastest
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The teacher and the children decide to create a grocery store scene for the dramatic play center. The child controls the narrative during play, while the teacher extends the play by integrating academic concepts such as writing grocery lists, exchanging money to pay, etc.
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Using Play-Doh with letter molds
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Creating patterns while beading bracelets or necklaces
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Letter bingo
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Memory cards with rhyming pictures
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Sight word twister
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Clock and time puzzles
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Counting games using dice
Be intentional in showing students the connection between the academic concepts taught during direct instruction and their play contexts. Emphasizing the usefulness of academic and other skills to extend their play (for example, needing to write to make a sign for the store play center) will provide motivation and promote generalization.
For more ideas on play-based activities, check out our resource pages!
While these different types of play may not all be child-directed, they are all child-centered, meaning they are interest-based and developmentally, ability, and age appropriate.