by Sarah Dickinson
Sarah is an Early Childhood Education major from Warwick, Rhode Island, and ever since she was little, she knew she wanted to have a job in which she was able to help others. After attending freshman orientation she realized she wanted to pursue a teaching career. Sarah says “I have worked in numerous classrooms over the last few years and have noticed the negative effects that didactic teaching practices have on children’s development, as well as their relationship with learning.” Sarah’s goal with her paper was to bring attention to the ways in which play can be reintroduced into early childhood education classrooms, and she believes that this research shows “how play would be extremely beneficial to young children.” Sarah believes that as an education major, her topic has special importance to her work and studies.
When it comes to early childhood education, there is a lot of controversy surrounding what material is developmentally appropriate, at what point said material should be introduced, and how it should be presented to students. As an early education major, I have been educated on this topic and therefore am biased in my thinking that play-based learning is the best way to teach young students, especially when it comes to literacy. I am particularly interested in this topic because I have seen first hand how Common Core standards, or what students should know by the end of each grade according to the state, have negatively impacted young students. Most children are presented with a didactic curriculum that is meant to improve their test scores, when in reality, what young children really need is hands on, play-based learning to help them reach developmental milestones and truly understand the material they are being presented. My interest in the topic is why my inquiry is as follows: Why should teachers implement play-based literacy learning in early education classrooms?
Play-based learning, also referred to as dramatic play, teacher-directed play, or simply “play”, is when students engage with new material through hands-on activities and social interaction. When it comes to play in the classroom, there is a difference between free play and play-based learning. Both are beneficial to child development but offer different outcomes. “Free play” is child-directed and has no determined end goal. In other words, the child can play however they wish (e.g. play house, restaurant, etc.) Free play is mainly beneficial to a child’s social development. Students learn to evaluate the behavior of their peers and modify their own behavior in order to follow social guidelines and norms throughout the play process. Play-based learning, on the other hand, is teacher-directed and has the ultimate goal of encouraging students to engage with new material in order to develop a better, more in depth understanding of the topic at hand. Play-based learning, especially in regards to composition, helps a students’ cognitive, social, and linguistic development. Literacy directed play has a direct correlation to, “language advancement, narrative development, emotional regulation, and the development of reasoning skills,” which in turn leads to “decoding, oral reading, fluency, reading comprehension, and writing convention” (Cavanaugh 832). By including teacher-directed play in the classroom, we are providing students with an opportunity to engage with the basics of literacy and to develop a solid foundation which they can build from for the rest of their lives.
While I’ve made it quite clear why play-based learning should be a part of every early childhood classroom, you may be asking yourself how or why these practices work. When explaining play-based learning, it’s best to refer back to the psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, who studied the importance of play for years. Vygotsky believed that play aided in children’s academic development because they had the ability to, “engage in pretend play because they start to separate the visual field (what can be seen) from the field of sense (what can be implied), or meaning” (Hostettler 63). For example, say a teacher sets up a pretend coffee shop in the classroom in order to introduce a composition play-based situation (students can engage in writing down orders, communicating with each other, writing the check, etc). Students then begin to play pretend and utilize the objects around them. This form of dramatic play also helps children understand that language flows back and forth between people (waitress and customers) and that writing can be used to record information (taking down orders). They may say “pretend this book is a plate” or “pretend I’m the waitress and I’m taking your order.” By playing in this way, students begin to act according to their own ideas (e.g. the book is a plate) rather than the concrete situation at hand (the book is in fact just a book). Vygotsky believed that this was, “the first step for the development of higher mental functions and verbal thinking, which becomes important for children during their transition to school” (Hostettler 63). Not only does play help students better grasp new concepts, it ultimately changes the way in which they think and observe the world around them.
Another benefit of play-based literacy practices in the classroom is it creates lasting and meaningful writing experiences for young students. Children become excited to learn and are engaged with subject matter in a way that isn’t possible with traditional didactic methods. In fact, that is the exact reason why play-based learning works: if learning is fun, children are more apt to do it. One particular example that comes to mind when discussing play-based literacy activities is the “Fairy Door Scenario” created and evaluated by Nicola Friedrich, Kristen Wishart, and Shelley Stagg Peterson. In order to complete this activity, teachers set up a small door in the classroom, making it look like a small creature has moved in. When the students come in from recess, the teachers have a brief conversation with each other about the mysterious new door to peak their interests, but refrain from mentioning anything to the students directly, allowing their own curiosity to take over. The students then start discussing amongst themselves what they should do about this new visitor in their classroom. They all agree that they will make a trap to capture the creature the next day. However, when they come into school the next morning, there is a letter that was written by the “fairy” who lives behind the door asking them to please not try to capture her. By writing a letter to the students from the “fairy,” the teachers make literacy a central part of the play scenario. Students naturally begin to ask questions and make assumptions and grab pieces of paper and pencils to write letters to their new friend. Students ask questions and even tell the fairy a little about themselves in the notes that they leave by her door. This scenario corresponds with Vygotsky’s theory considering the fairy doesn’t actually exist but the children are able to utilize their imagination and seperate what can physically be seen and what is being implied. This scenario provides an example of how to help students develop emergent writing skills, or a solid foundation for future literary engagements.
The “Fairy Door Scenario” is considered play-based learning because the students are engaging in dramatic play while communicating with their peers. The students are exercising their problem solving and literary skills by writing letters to help understand and gain information about the “fairy door”. This scenario sets up a perfect opportunity for play-based learning because instead of leading a teacher-guided lesson, the teachers “assisted the children as they directed their own natural/authentic interactions with print, interactions that engaged their interest in sign making” (Frederich et al. 62). When referring to natural/authentic interactions with print, Frederich is simply saying that the students are partaking in a child-directed activity in which they are free to write whatever they want without teacher intervention. Some of the students struggled with writing out their thoughts and questions so they resorted to pictures or symbols. The teachers then took the opportunity to respond to students with literacy activities. This is a perfect example of how literacy can be introduced to young students without having them physically write sentences on their own. Even if the students weren’t writing in complete or correct sentences, they were still illustrating their understanding and emergent literacy skills. This play-based activity allowed the students to engage with a storyline and develop their writing skills by learning how to observe an unfamiliar situation and formulate their thoughts into pictures and symbols and eventually written language.
Another reason why play is extremely important in regards to composition is that it improves children’s cognitive, linguistic development and other important skills. Children are able to be exposed to literacy and new vocabulary in ways that they can more fully understand and apply to their everyday lives. Play-based composition practices help students develop these skills because they, “use their imaginations, negotiation skills, and social interactions to practice and develop linguistic ability. While children play and communicate, they develop an intuitive understanding of how language works, preparing them for written language” (Tsao, cited in Cavanaugh et al. 831). I found this quote incredibly helpful to building the understanding of my inquiry because it helps clarify the fact that learning how to write doesn’t have to include structured written assignments. Children are learning and creating meaningful writing experiences simply by playing and engaging with each other and the learning material. This concept can be related back to the “Fairy Door Scenario” in which many of the children were not able to write complete sentences to the “fairy” so they resorted to drawing pictures or making symbols to represent their thinking. With some guidance provided by their teacher, the children were able to convert their drawings into written language. However, whether the students made the conversion from symbols into words or not, they are still expressing the use of emergent composition skills by communicating their ideas through written expression. They are beginning to understand the back and forth nature of how language and writing work.
While it may seem as though there is no reason to not incorporate play in an early childhood classroom, there are numerous reasons why teachers do not integrate play into their curriculum. For example, Pyle conducted a study in which a variety of Kindergarten teachers were encouraged to implement play in their curriculum, “Although there were differences in play-literacy integration between the groups, all teachers expressed challenges associated with implementing a play-based learning program” (Pyle et al. 117). Pyle added added to my understanding of my inquiry because it offered another perspective that I didn’t originally think about. When I first began researching this topic, I thought teachers that didn’t include literacy based play were either uneducated or uninterested. However, I now realize that most teachers recognize the fact that play-based composition learning is beneficial for students and should be included in the classroom but don’t know how they should include it or they simply don’t have the time or resources. Some teachers on the other hand, recognize the importance of play but only for the students’ social and emotional development, not their literacy or academic skills (Lynch 354, 356). These teachers often incorporate free play throughout the day in which students can play without teacher intervention. However, they don’t mix play with curriculum or lesson topics. Other teachers who want to incorporate play into their curriculum find it difficult to do so while following Common Core guidelines. These teachers want their students to reap the benefits of play-based learning but don’t have the time to do so while also making sure their students meet all the requirements necessary to move onto the next grade (Lynch 358-9) . Basically, teachers have too little time, too many students, and not nearly enough resources or assistance from administrators. In order for play-based learning to become a part of early education curriculum, teachers, administrators and the creators of the Common Core Curriculum need to work together to create a plan that best benefits their students.
Over the years, it has been proven that play-based learning is an effective means of introducing and increasing literacy skills for children (Pyle 118-119). Many early childhood teachers use didactic or teacher guided lessons to teach children about reading and writing, despite the established benefits of hands-on, play-based learning (Lynch 354-5). While most of us, myself included, have learned through these old fashioned didactic practices and turned out just fine, there is still the possibility that we are failing our students by sticking to the status quo. A study conducted by Dena Cavanaugh has shown that participating in literacy based “guided play”, activities with little teacher intervention and guidance, for just 15 minutes a day can improve students’ composition test scores (Cavanaugh 836-837). Still, Kindergarten classrooms are seeing less and less play time and more teacher-led lessons. In regards to composition, didactic lessons often consist of repetition, recitation, and the copying of letters and words. If you were to ask any 5 year old if this was a form of learning they enjoyed, I guarantee the answer would be no. This is concerning considering many young students develop their perception of school around the time they are in preschool and kindergarten and, “a school experience that is too challenging or dull may discourage them from engaging fully in school and prevent them from later success” (Stipek, cited in Cavanaugh 832). Children should be presented with fun, developmentally appropriate material to help them establish a positive relationship with learning which will ultimately benefit the remainder of their academic career.
Early education classrooms used to be filled with toys and games but as time goes on, more didactic teaching practices, Common Core guidelines, and statewide testing are forced upon our young students. While I firmly believe that play-based learning is a crucial aspect of early childhood education and should be implemented in preschool and kindergarten curriculum, I am now aware of the difficulties that teachers might face while attempting to include play in their classroom. However, I believe that the benefits of play-based learning, especially in regards to writing and basic literacy skills, outweigh the difficulties of implementing play-based curriculum. If we truly want to make a difference and help our young students, it’s imperative that teachers, administrators, Common Core creators, etc. all work together to create a curriculum that is designed to help students thrive.
Works Cited
Cavanaugh, Dena M., et al. “Kindergarten Scores, Storytelling, Executive Function, and Motivation Improved through Literacy-Rich Guided Play.” Early Childhood Education Journal 45.6 (2017): 831-43. ProQuest. Web. 12 Apr. 2020.
Friedrich, Nicola, Wishart, Kristen, and Stagg Peterson, Shelley. “Supporting Emergent Writers through Guided Play in a Kindergarten Classroom.” Journal of Childhood Studies 43.2 (2018): 58-64. ProQuest. Web. 12 Apr. 2020.
Hostettler Scharer, Janine. “Supporting Young Children’s Learning in a Dramatic Play Environment.” Journal of Childhood Studies 42.3 (2017). Web. 20 Apr. 2020.
Pyle, Angela, Jessica Prioletta, and Daniel Poliszczuk. “The Play-Literacy Interface in Full-Day Kindergarten Classrooms.” Early Childhood Education Journal 46.1 (2018): 117-27. ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2020.
Lynch, Meghan. “More Play, Please: The Perspective of Kindergarten Teachers on Play in the Classroom.” American Journal of Play 7.3 (2015): 347-70. ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2020.