by Hetty Boon, Junior Kindergarten Lead –
Can learning at kindergarten be fun and academically rigorous? Yes! A kindergarten curriculum that utilises inquiry and play based learning provides an excellent framework for teachers to subtly guide students’ learning through games, role play, arts and open ended questions. These activities naturally spark curiosity in every young learner. Purposeful play is a valuable activity for a 3 to 5 year old child as it opens a window for active exploration and construction of knowledge with teachers facilitating learning opportunities that bridge multiple disciplines such as maths, sciences and languages.
Children learn best when they’re having fun and enjoying activities, and children have fun when they are playing. Studies show that children’s learning is optimal when they are free to learn through purposeful play. Play is an excellent way for young children to explore the world around them. It develops students’ creativity and allows them to make connections with things that are familiar to them. Play based learning gives children the freedom to experiment and discover concepts and facts at their own pace, and in their own way, while being guided and supported by their teachers.
One of the most important play-based learning benefits is the development of “skill readiness”, essential for academic success. Through play, children learn to enjoy the moment. They build the necessary skills to communicate with each other, they explore different concepts and make sense of objects, matters and living creatures around them. Playing simply opens young children’s brains for different experiences. As the play experience is practiced multiple times, the learning occurs in a subtle yet permanent way. Children can concentrate for longer periods of time and are motivated to learn – because they are having a great time. Unlike the rote memorisation of facts, this kind of experience driven learning is retained in the long term memory, developing important conceptual understandings and laying the perfect foundation for long term academic success. In fact, studies reveal a link between play (particularly symbolic, pretend play) and the development of language and literacy skills, enhanced achievement in maths in later grades, and stronger social and collaborative skills. The complexity of block play in young children can be a predictor of later high school math success. To be specific, researchers have found that students who use manipulatives such as blocks in more sophisticated ways in kindergarten score better math grades.
The simplest of activities can turn into great learning ventures for children as their brain is stimulated through various levels while playing. Play improves memory and stimulates the growth of the cerebral cortex, and children pay more attention to academic tasks when they are given brief and frequent opportunities for play. Play also promotes creative problem-solving capabilities, and pretend play has also been correlated with two crucial skill sets, the ability to self-regulate (impulses, emotions, attention) and the ability to reason counterfactually.
One of my favourite activities is the “buttons game”. Imagine a very large handful buttons in different colours, dimensions and shapes lying on the table. The first instinct of the students is sensory, they all want to touch and feel the buttons, one by one as well as many buttons at a time, and experience different feels; small vs. large, smooth vs. rough, light vs. heavy. This stage is perfect when experimenting with new textures, discovering new forms and the development and refinement of fine motor skills. The next step is usually initiated by a confident student who will not hesitate to voice his or her opinion – sparking the inquiry process. “I want to take the black ones only.” Another child might say “I get the white ones!” This process builds colour recognition, differentiation and teaches the concept of sorting – a simple, but perfect classification activity that provides a strong mathematical foundation and leads easily to counting activities. Children learn to love math and build numeracy skills through stimulating activities with real materials, in a safe and nurturing environment.
In every stage of the button game, students are given opportunities to express their experience, their thoughts and to raise questions in their desire to know more. This builds their vocabulary and helps to improve their language skills as they use descriptive words to reflect their learning (with the guidance of their teacher). Because they enjoy what they do with their friends and teacher, the children will want to learn more. These activities are stepping stones that develops a love of learning, one that is not subject based.
Inquiry and play based learning is a stimulating teaching method for educators. I find it exciting because it empowers my students to take an active role in the learning process as their natural curiosity leads them to finding answers. At CIS, we do comprehensive planning for our units of inquiry in terms of topics and subjects as a teaching team, however, this co-planning takes different forms in each class as different students lead their learning in different levels and destinations. We plan lessons and identify concepts and skills, but leave room to be responsive to the different needs and interests of the children found within each class. As PYP teachers we need to be masters of flexibility and be flexible enough to make constant adjustments and modifications to our plans, as we progress with individual units. Inquiry and play based learning gives us the ticket to enter the hearts of our students and more importantly establishes the ideal rapport for love of learning.
Purposeful play provides learners with a rigorous academic foundation that leads to the happiest, wisest, most competent and skilled individuals.
