The Power of Play: Most Instinctive Language of Learning

“One of my dearest childhood memory that I recall clearly is racing through green lofty grass of a nearby woodland to swiftly reach the half-dried pond”.

Which are the moments you fondly reminisce of your childhood? Is it hopping on the mud or endlessly gazing outside the classroom window? Is it crossing the monkey bars or finding that two stones rubbed against each other produces a spark of fire? Spare a minute or two to recall your dearest memory of childhood. 

Play or related to play is one of the most joyful memories for people. It is rare to fondly reminisce studying for a history test, writing paper or learning a chapter from the academic book (even when it’s your favourite chapter!). Play is fundamental to both animal and human. It is vital for parents and teachers to deepen their understanding of the power of play in everyday life. By strengthening the ability to utilize methods of play and purposely guiding children to engage in meaningful play, one can make childhood a joyful and motivating time for children. There has been an enormous amount of research on the importance of play in fostering cognitive, social, emotional and language learning skills of children. But the play is not just important in a developmental sense, it can also be effectively linked with academics and boost body image, self-confidence, relationship building and self-efficacy. It’s correct to say play and learning go together because playing with children will keep them engaged in the kind of play where learning occurs.

There are four fundamentals crucial to meaningful play that enhances learning -

1. The play takes time to unfold

A rich meaningful play that improves learning cannot occur in 15 minutes recess time or 5-minute playground walk. We see a toddler learning to walk, falling multiple times only to get up multiple times. The toddler won’t stop until he starts to walk regardless of the times he couldn’t get up on his feet. This is how dedicated children are to the outcome for discovering the joy of mastering a skill. This is the kind of learning we must encourage in children, one that takes time to unfold and where multiple failures lead to success. It’s all a game of time, effort and perseverance!

2. Children learn by exploration and discovery

A child playing with blocks places them over one another only to watch them fall. But he repeats until the topmost block is fixed to structure and stops stumbling. As adults, we wow the firmly held tall structure, but little one adores seeing it falling, again and again, to finally standing tall. Sometimes, learning is not in constructing or inventing product but in grasping how it doesn’t work.

Famous psychologist Jean Piaget proposed that children construct their own knowledge by building interactions with their environment. This has been termed as ‘constructivism’. Another psychologist, Vygotsky supported the view with ideas of scaffolding learning. Certainly, we have a vast amount of research backing up the view that children learn best when they can explore, discover and invent. Sometimes, we as adults become so intricate in our professional hats as teachers, facilitators, educators or parents that we forget to look at a situation as it occurs naturally. Only when play is observed and appreciated rather than forced or ordered, it sets a route of learning and growth.

3. Children become engrossed at the moment

Play is engaging and connecting. Time standstills when children play. The world becomes a little slow, communication is conquered by actions, belongings are least interesting, and feelings are liberated. In other words, children become engrossed and briefly overlook surrounding, time and need. What do we do in such a scenario? This is precisely when we need to stop, look and appreciate what they do! As adults, we live in a cynical world unknowingly passing it to the next generation. We need to slow down, take a back seat and let children be deeply involved in their moment.

4. Play for teenagers

The teenager's play is different from children’s play but holds equal significance to their life. Grown-ups have a need for socialisation and acceptance which greatly influences their choice of play activity. While some are unstructured like walking, sitting, or talking, some are structured like sports, dance, or acting. Play not only fosters creativity but enhances decision making, problem-solving, resilience, imagination and social competence. It fulfils the growing need for independence and novelty making it an enriching experience. The role of the adult is to foster wellbeing by integrating creative strategies which allow youngsters to choose what they learn, prepare innovation, express self and demonstrate competence.

Fred Rogers, rightly said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play really is the work of childhood.” So, think of play as a bridge to gap from basic to beyond, infusing colourful and insightful memories in the life of children to reminiscence as adults.