Learning Through Play

Learning through play has become something of a hot topic in recent years. So much so that it was one of the key topics discussed at the World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos with companies such as Lego, Unilever and Ikea all backing calls for wider adoption of learning through play.

Researchers, educators and influencers across the world have found that play can help enrich learning. Despite people having different angles on what constitutes best examples of play, one thing they all agree on is that learning through play allows children to develop cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically and it prepares them better for the world they’re about to face than traditional classroom learning on its own.

I have been fortunate to witness the benefits of learning through play first hand. Some years ago I co-developed a maths board game to help my own children improve their numeracy - within a few months of regular playing their teachers had noticed the improvement and we ended up producing & selling the game world wide. Fast forward a few years and I set up PLYTIME tutoring to help children improve maths by playing face to face games. I have tutored over 250 children and seen an average PLYTIME improvement of 10% per session but that’s only part of the story. The children experience real face to face interaction, learn vital social skills and most importantly they have fun and build confidence. It’s so rewarding watching children who once feared maths, learn to enjoy it, have fun and excel.

Play is far more powerful for children, than many parents and teachers realize but it isn’t as simple as just buying a game, giving it to a child and expecting them to improve. There’s a whole range of game options out there and it’s about knowing what to play when and how to encourage and support children during the games to explore what they’re capable of. To get the most out of learning through play requires a certain level of expertise. Some forward thinking schools are starting to recognise that, leaving teachers to teach and bringing in experts to play with their pupils. This is the future of learning through play and it should be a key component of our children’s development.

I'm interested to find out your opinions and experiences of learning through play

Do you think learning through play benefits children?

Do you think it should play a bigger role in a child's education?

Do you think it would work better with "play experts"?

If you like the idea of learning through play and are interested in becoming a PLYTIME Tutor, please get in touch with me here or visit the PLYTIME website to discover more.