PLAY BASED LEARNING

Children explore, push boundaries and test limits.  As they play, children gather information through trial and error, cause and effect, and practice.  According to Sara Smilansky’s research, there are four types of play: functional, constructive, dramatic/pretend, and games with rules.
Functional play is a form of play in which children use their senses and muscles to experiment with materials and learn how things go together.  These hands on experiences are the best teacher.  Children learn best when they are surrounded by high-quality experiences that are imaginative, engaging and rich in language, especially when guided through these experiences by skilled, caring, thoughtful adults.

Constructive play is different from functional because the children’s actions are purposeful; they have a plan with an end goal.  Teachers must validate and reinforce this type of play, and prompt them to extend it.
Dramatic, or pretend play, typically involves children taking on a role as they use real or pretend objects to carry out that particular role.  Studies have shown a high connection between high levels of dramatic play in preschool and cognitive, verbal, and social ability measures in the early elementary grades. 

Games with rules require a new depth of self control.  Children must control their behaviors to conform to a set of rules.  Games include table games and movement games.  This helps a child control their behavior.  Children should gear their attention toward enjoying the game, rather than winning.

Each child needs the chance to choose and explore their materials alone, but learning increases when others come along to help.  Friends can experiment using materials in new ways and when they stumble upon something new, they learn.

Research shows “...that children who experience play-based, active learning do as well and better on early school tests as their peers who experience more paper and drill-based, passive learning” (Elizabeth Jenkins).  Aside from the fact that this is a research supported way of learning, we love this idea because young children learn better through play and words, than through words alone.