Kindergarteners in a play-based learning class react when asked to find their shadows on the ground while following teacher Jessica Arrow back from forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 7, 2024.
Early Childhood

Kindergarten Play Makes a Comeback, and Boys Benefit

By Elizabeth Heubeck — January 27, 2025 9 min read
Early Childhood

Kindergarten Play Makes a Comeback, and Boys Benefit

By Elizabeth Heubeck — January 27, 2025 9 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

One November morning, a little after 8 a.m., Jessica Arrow and 14 of her kindergarteners are sitting in a circle on a rug in her classroom at Symonds Elementary School here.

Some sit cross-legged, others bounce up and down on their knees. Arrow is teaching math concepts using block-like structures called Cuisenaire Rods, which represent different numbers or groups of numbers through their colors and lengths. With a little coaxing, the students raise their hands to tell Arrow what she shows them—that the number 60 is made up of six groups of 10, or six orange rods.

One or two boys in the class fail to respond routinely to Arrow’s questions, which are meant to test their conceptual knowledge represented by the colorful manipulatives. But that changes in a few minutes when she switches gears and has the students stand up and spread out. In this format, every student is locked in.

See Also

Students play in the creativity corner during recess at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland on Oct. 24, 2024 in Baltimore, Md.
Students play in the creativity corner during recess at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland in Baltimore on Oct. 24, 2024. When schools offer students more independence and choice, boys in particular tend to thrive, experts say.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week

Projected onto a big white board in front of the room is Jack Hartmann, an “edu-tainer” who takes the students through a number of commands like “arm circles and count” and “twist and count"—which has the students following directions, using gross motor skills, and practicing counting out loud. By the end of the song, the students have counted to 100, and they look slightly exhausted. It’s only 8:35 a.m.

Within minutes, the students pull out some hearty snacks from home (mostly yogurt, fruit, and cheese) and spend time eating and talking with classmates at their assigned tables before preparing for the most exciting part of the week: outdoor learning.

The morning has barely begun and, already, how Arrow structures her students’ day looks far different than in most of the nation’s public kindergartens today.

Jessica Arrow (center), a play-based learning kindergarten teacher, talks with her students about squirrels during class at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.

A federal push in recent years for greater academic rigor at increasingly younger ages has dramatically shifted the experience of kindergarten for most American children. Critics argue that such academic expectations for kindergarteners are developmentally inappropriate—especially for boys, who some experts say tend to mature more slowly than girls.

“The very thing that some educators and [creators of] educational policies think they’re doing, which is ensuring that kids become able to think and read and do higher level—or what they think of as higher level—academic tasks, is actually thwarting them by not giving them a chance to do it the way that they need to do it when they’re little,” said Susan Engel, a psychologist and founding director of Williams College’s Program in Teaching. “If you aren’t given a chance to think the way you think best, which is with your body and with your voice in play, you’re not going to think as well.”

For an upcoming book project focused on kindergarten, Engel recently spent time in 29 kindergarten classrooms that spanned socioeconomic and racial demographics. There were some bright spots, Engel said, but overall, she was left with the impression that modern-day kindergarten is not meeting the needs of all students, especially boys.

“The majority of kindergarten classrooms I observed were repressive in a way that’s going to be harder for a lot of boys than it is for girls,” said Engel. Such classes maintained a rigid schedule and offered students very little time to socialize or jump around, she said.

“If you’re a little boy and you’re squirming around because at 5, you’re likely to squirm and want to move your body and jump around, and you just don’t have the impulse control not to—if you fail at that [impulse control] again and again, imagine what it does to your receptiveness to everything about school,” Engel said.

In New Hampshire, play is once again the cornerstone of kindergarten

Meanwhile, Arrow has bucked the “academic rigor” trend and, instead, made deliberate changes to how she runs her class—infusing play, movement, and exploration into all aspects of learning. It’s an approach in line with her state’s vision for kindergarten.

In 2018, New Hampshire passed legislation requiring play to be reinstated as a cornerstone to public school kindergarten statewide. The decision—which says that kindergarten teachers should facilitate play-based learning that incorporates movement, creative expression, exploration, socialization, and music—is informed by the latest research on early childhood development.

Before heading outdoors, the Symonds kindergarteners reconvene on the rug, with Arrow sitting among them in the circle. She dives into a lesson on the autumnal behavior of squirrels, describing the nut-gathering and burying process in great, animated detail, encouraging the students to mimic a squirrel digging a hole.

Arrow pulls out three stuffed animal squirrels—a mother and two babies—as visual aids, and repeatedly uses lively vocabulary words like “scurry” and “scamper” to explain the animals’ behavior. Then she passes out an acorn to each student, instructing them to guard it carefully and bring it with them to the woods, where they’ll bury it—just like squirrels do.

Brockton Lesser, a kindergartener in a play-based learning class, plays with a stuffed animal puppet squirrel during forest play time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.

A little after 9 a.m., acorns in hand, the class heads outside to a clearing in the woods that abuts their school. Every week, they spend a dedicated hour to 90 minutes outside. It’s not a free-for-all. The class joins in a circle, starting with a song about their surroundings. Then Arrow, using her stuffed squirrels, reviews the animal behavior she taught inside.

She tells the students it will soon be their turn to bury the acorns she handed to them earlier, and asks them to share with her where they plan to put them. Before they run off, in groups or by themselves, Arrow bellows, “Activate your squirrel power. Dig!”

After the students scamper like squirrels and bury their acorns in the dirt under the pine needles, they return to the circle to review some guidelines about free play, like how to safely carry sticks of different lengths, and Arrow suggests some ways the students might spend their pending free time. Then, before the students run off to either build forts with large fallen branches, create fairy houses with tiny sticks, or play a game that they make up, they each check in with Arrow and, again, share with her their plan.

Before long, some students have gathered around a stick that’s a few inches wide around and much taller than they are. One boy is balancing on one end of it, while another boy bounces on it, trying to break it in half.

Arrow watches, doing a balancing act of her own. She’s constantly weighing the risks versus rewards of letting children experiment with activities like this.

Some students take longer than others to decide what to do in the small forest space, where Arrow reminds them that wherever they choose to go, they must be able to see her at all times. One boy who, when inside, answered far fewer of his teacher’s questions about math concepts than most of his classmates, was the first to share his plan of fort-building in the woods, quickly establishing himself as the lead fort-maker among a handful of classmates.

“Especially with boys, it’s a pattern I often see: Those that struggle in the classroom thrive during choice time or in the forest,” Arrow said.

Boys thrive during meaningful playtime

The kindergarteners are not just moving their bodies. They’re also engaged in activities that 5-year-old boys see as meaningful—arranging branches to create a fort, hiding nuts in the forest to mimic a squirrel’s behavior, or building something out of blocks.

“If you can tap into the why for boys, and the exciting benefits of learning, then they are buying into it,” Arrow said.

Back in Arrow’s classroom by 10:30 a.m., the students prepare for choice time. Students must pick the center where they want to play and see if there are openings (most are limited to two or three students). Once they reach their selected center—featuring pretend play, a doll house, a nature table, art supplies, blocks, books, and more—students problem-solve, negotiate, and get creative. For instance, the children decide who will play which role in the “pretend” corner, choose what to build with Legos or Play-Doh, and imagine what to create in the art center.

“Choice time is another period that allows children to be natural leaders,” Arrow said. “They inspire each other. They teach each other.”

Silas McLellan, a kindergartener in a play-based learning class, plays with toy blocks during “Choice Time,” at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.

It’s also the best time to address statewide standards, Arrow believes.

“I often think to myself how much less practice the kids would get with these standards if we don’t have this 45 minutes to an hour every morning [during choice time] to actually be utilizing and expressing verbally—especially for those students who aren’t yet communicating as much verbally,” she said. Boys, incidentally, tend to develop language skills later than girls.

Young boys may not be ready for a focus on academic rigor

Arrow said that early in her career, she felt the pressure that came with federal accountability measures and an emphasis on academic standards and standardized testing. Her days were full of worksheet dittos, direct instruction, and lots of redirecting. None of it felt particularly meaningful or developmentally appropriate, she said.

The standards-based reform movement of the past few decades have placed core academic standards at the center of an assessment-driven education environment, and the trickle-down effects have reached kindergarten—and may have, in particular, been a setback for young boys’ learning development.

“Typically I see boys who are older being more successful in a modern, public school kindergarten where they’re being asked to learn their letters and sounds and write their letters,” Arrow said.

Her observations align with a growing number of child advocates who, like Richard R. Reeves in his popular book Of Boys and Men, recommend that boys start formal education a year later than girls.

“In the 21st century, elementary schools have changed in ways that seem to impact boys more than girls,” said Timothy Davis, a psychology professor at the Harvard Medical School whose expertise includes boys and the current elementary school environment. “There has been a decrease in the amount of recess time. Boys seem to need more movement breaks than girls. Learning to read used to begin in 1st grade. Now it begins in kindergarten. Boys enter school behind girls in the area of pre-reading skills so they are disadvantaged by this change.”

As a new teacher focused on standards and test scores, Arrow didn’t feel particularly successful engaging her students, whom she felt she was constantly reprimanding.

“They looked unhappy,” Arrow said. She felt unhappy, too.

That’s all changed as Arrow has incorporated more movement, playtime, and outdoor learning into her classroom. She has found that letting young children engage in hands-on, experiential learning can be the most effective way to address academic standards.

Kindergarteners in a play-based learning class swing on a swing set during recess at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.

Arrow, now in her 18th year at Symonds Elementary, serves as an example to her colleagues of how effective early learning can look different. The school administration has not only supported the changes to the way Arrow runs her classroom, but has encouraged her to share her methods with other teachers.

“Jessica has played an instrumental role in this entire district, helping educators to understand what play-based learning is, to bring it to life, and to keep it moving forward,” Principal Susan Grover said.

Arrow also spreads her knowledge statewide; for instance, presenting on play-based coaching and teaching at summer workshops for the University of New Hampshire’s Early Childhood Initiative. But her immediate concerns revolve around maintaining a classroom environment that allows all of her students to thrive.

As for the boys in her class, Arrow said, “I think they are feeling more successful in a classroom in which they can pursue their interests and discover their strengths.”

Dive Deeper

This story is part of a special reporting project exploring why boys, overall, are doing worse in school than girlsand what can be done to reverse the trend.
Why school isn’t working for many boys: Teachers report in a new survey that boys are less motivated and focused than their female counterparts.
The data are clear: Girls, on average, find more success at school than boys. Explore key data points highlighting these disparities.
Reimagining what schools can look like: Find out how four schools get boys excited about learning.
Student-teacher relationships matter: The key to inspiring boys in the classroom is a strong student-teacher relationship, experts say. Here’s how to make it work.
Why boys don’t want to become teachers: Boys would benefit from more male role models in the classroom. Here’s what schools can do about it.
A downloadable tip sheet: Boys are relational learners, experts say. Here are eight key strategies on how to reach them.

Events

School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Early Childhood Head Start Teachers Will Earn More—But Programs Might Have to Serve Fewer Kids
A new federal rule will raise wages for Head Start employees—but providers won't get any additional funding.
7 min read
Preschool teacher with kids sitting nearby while she reads a book.
iStock/Getty
Early Childhood EdReports Expands Curriculum Reviews to Pre-K
Non-profit EdReports will review pre-K curricula to gauge its alignment with research on early learning.
2 min read
Boy raises his hand to answer a question in a classroom; he is sitting on the floor with other kids and the teacher is sitting in front of the class.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Early Childhood The State of Teaching Young Kids Are Struggling With Skills Like Listening, Sharing, and Using Scissors
Teachers say basic skills and tasks are more challenging for young students now than they were five years ago.
5 min read
Young girl using scissors in classroom.
E+ / Getty
Early Childhood Without New Money, Biden Admin. Urges States to Use Existing Funds to Expand Preschool
There's no new infusion of federal funds for preschool, so the Biden administration is pointing out funding sources that are already there.
4 min read
Close cropped photo of a young child putting silver coins in a pink piggy bank.
iStock/Getty