Renowned psychologist Jean Piaget notes, “Play is the work of childhood.” and Mr. Rogers elaborates on this statement by saying “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.”

In a school setting, there needs to be a balance of both play and serious learning, across all grade levels.   When we structure our teaching to include an element of play, even in higher grades, children are learning as well as having fun.  They are working with materials that are familiar and intuitive for them which helps them to concentrate on the new information being taught.  Different types of play also incorporates multiple learning modes (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) which can also help children retain concepts.

Students learn through a variety of activities and experiences and each school day is full of rich, engaging and authentic learning.  The pictures show students immersed in different games and activities with each other which might, at first glance, seem to just be playing.  However, they are practicing valuable communication skills, learning strategies, and reviewing or learning content.