Kimberly Nesbitt has studied extensively how young children’s cognitive development can be accelerated in learning environments. That’s why she concludes that play deserves a prominent place in achieving that goal.
Leaning into play may seem at odds with today’s early learning goals, which in many districts focus heavily on academic standards. But by making learning more playful, it becomes more effective, says Nesbitt, an associate professor and chair of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of New Hampshire. It’s a concept that’s taking hold in pockets around the nation.
In the past eight years, a handful of states—including New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, and Oklahoma—have either introduced or passed legislation to require or allow play-based learning in early education classrooms. New Hampshire led the way in 2018, when it passed legislation specific to kindergarten, instructing early educators to “create a learning environment that facilitates high quality, child-directed experiences” based on best practices around play-based learning.
But what do such an environment and the related experiences look like—and how can teachers facilitate them? With many kindergarten classrooms having long ago packed up dressup corners and building-block centers, this new paradigm of play requires a different set of resources—ones that rely more on teachers’ guidance than on actual toys.
Nesbitt is committed to teaching early educators how. She spearheaded New Hampshire’s efforts to train the state’s early education teachers on the whys and hows of playful learning in the early elementary classroom. She co-wrote a guidebook for the state’s early childhood educators and has led workshops on play-based kindergarten.
“It’s overwhelming for teachers to think: I just have to walk into [a classroom] with nothing,” said Nesbitt, whose work provides teachers with a framework for incorporating playful learning into the classroom.
Nesbitt shared with Education Week strategies for early education teachers on playful learning, and discussed what it looks like, why it’s an effective learning tool, and how to incorporate it in the classroom.
Think of play as the way kids apply knowledge
Promoting play in learning is really about letting young learners apply a skill they’re being taught, explains Nesbitt. “You can tell me all about how to ride a bike, but until I actually ride that bike myself, it’s not going to actually take hold,” she said.
Let play follow the standards, not the other way around
When incorporating play into the classroom, it’s important that standards remain the priority, Nesbitt said. She espouses guided play, in which teachers balance scaffolding children’s exploration with allowing them to maintain some autonomy. Used this way, play supports learning objectives and standards—from academic to social-emotional to motor skills.
Know that play is as much about activating the mind as the body
It’s normal to perceive play in learning as physical, but Nesbitt encourages teachers to think beyond that definition. “It’s also about turning on students’ minds to be, to think, and to make connections, and to really explain their thinking,” she said.
Ask students questions that ‘activate’ their minds
Asking students questions pushes them into an “active learning” mode, Nesbitt said, which is where the deeper, critical thinking happens.
These are a few of Nesbitt’s favorite mind-activating questions: Can you tell me how you got that answer? Can you tell me more about that?
“They’re likely to respond, ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘It just came into my head,’” Nesbitt warned. “So it’s being able to ask that follow-up question that’s really important.”
Realize that you may already be incorporating play into learning
As teachers contemplate how to incorporate guided play into the curriculum, Nesbitt encourages them to consider ways they may already be doing this.
“If you start with what you’re already doing, it’s much easier to build off of that,” she said. For cues, look to current or past lessons in which students demonstrate deep engagement and excitement, Nesbitt advises.
See yourself as a curator of play-based experiences
Direct instruction, which involves teacher-led lectures or demonstrations, is a straightforward means of teaching lessons. Asking teachers to facilitate guided play breaks from that script puts the students at the forefront, Nesbitt explained. And it takes practice.
“It involves asking yourself, ‘How do I curate experiences that allow children to have agency over their own thinking, so that they’re not just a passive recipient of information?” she said.
Start small
Applying playful learning to a classroom may feel overwhelming. Nesbitt recommends starting small.
“Ask yourself, ‘What’s one thing you want your students to get better at?’ and apply a playful learning strategy towards that goal,” she said.
She uses the example of getting kids to talk more in class, a goal that could be attainable with only minor changes to instructional patterns. During whole group instruction, for instance, Nesbitt suggests doing a “pair and share,” in which students pair up and exchange information for a short period of time about a topic the teacher suggests.
Balance direct instruction with playful learning
Although she’s a strong advocate for guided play, Nesbitt believes certain information in school is best conveyed through direct, whole-group instruction.
“If there’s a piece of information I need all my students to know, the easiest and most simple way for me to disseminate that is through whole-group, traditional instruction,” she said.
It’s what comes next that might make the information truly stick.
“I think that’s what it’s all about,” Nesbitt said. “This balance between, when do I need to tell you something and how do I curate experiences for you to apply that knowledge?”
Recognize that play won’t look the same in every class
Some teachers are bound by strict curricula with little room for deviations. Others may have more leeway. Said Nesbitt, “It’s about figuring out what’s best for you, for your students, and in that moment.”
