Play-based Learning and the Indoor Learning Environment
Explore innovative strategies for transforming indoor spaces into dynamic play-based learning environments for enhanced educational experiences.
Unlocking 21st Century Skills Through Play-Based Learning
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.” - Leo F. Buscaglia (Your Therapy Source, n.d.).
When analysing the above quote, it is clearly evident that linking learning through play is imperative and a significant relationship exists between the two, as it allows for experiential and investigative learning and offers a multitude of other benefits for children.
Play allows children to explore, identify, negotiate, take risks, and create meaning (Lester & Russell, 2008:9 in Griswold 2018:11). It satisfies a basic human need to express imagination, curiosity, and creativity, which are key resources in a knowledge-driven world.
Without a doubt, the critical skills that children acquire through play in the preschool years form part of the fundamental building blocks of future complex ‘21st-century skills’ (The Lego Foundation in support of UNICEF, 2018:8). Not only does learning through play create a vessel for discovery and peaking learners’ curiosity, but learners also engage in acquiring 21st Century skills such as the 7C’s (communication, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, citizenship, character and change), 3R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) and 2M’s (motivation and metacognition).
Educators can interlace these executive function skills into learning experiences by providing ample opportunities for learning through play within the indoor learning environment which leads to an improvement in academic skills.
Scientific research over the past 30 years has revealed that the most crucial period of human development is from birth to eight years old. During these years, the development of cognitive skills, emotional well-being, social competence, and sound physical and mental health builds a solid foundation for success that leads well into the adult years.
The preschool (or kindergarten) education years fall in the middle of the early childhood period and lay the base for success in school and beyond. Learning through play is significant throughout the whole early childhood period and beyond (The Lego Foundation UNICEF, 2018:6). Griswold (2018:5), postulates that play allows kindergarten learners to become critical thinkers, and further asserts that it supports early learners in developing their social and emotional skills.
Consequently, they require an early childhood environment that is rich in providing them with social and emotional learning skills which promotes life skills that are indispensable to being a successful lifelong learner (Griswold, 2018:6). Irvin (2017:2), concurs with Griswold that play is an essential aspect of the development of key skills such as social skills and further elaborates that play has an impact on behavioural, language, and cognitive skills. Irvin (2017:2), is in further harmony with Griswold that these skills when developed will become essential skills used not only throughout childhood, but also into adulthood as well (Irvin, 2017:2).
The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education
Griswold (2018:8), alludes to a minimum of three ways within which play is crucial for young children:
- Ability development
- Social development (Griswold, 2018:8),
- Imagination, creativity, and power.
Play is the channel in which the above three ways are often fostered and established (Griswold, 2018:9). Through play, children create, discover, experiment, learn, communicate, socialise acclimatise, and problem solve (Vygotsky, 1978 in Sjoerdsma, 2016:1). Ali, Constantino, Hussain & Akhtar (2018: 6808), articulate that play-based learning allows children to participate in purposeful activities that will allow for the simulation of such experiences they are likely to encounter. Thus, the words of Abraham Maslow are fitting in this context, “Almost all creativity involves purposeful play” (Your Therapy Source. n.d.).
According to Lester & Russell, (2008: 9 in Griswold 2018:11), it is believed that play shapes the operational design of the brain and that secure attachments and stimulation are significant aspects of brain development. Additionally, play provides active exploration that assists in building and strengthening brain pathways and creates a brain that has increased ‘flexibility and improved potential for learning later in life’.
Play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills. Pre-primary programmes that advocate for play-based approaches to learning, exploration and hands-on-learning are deemed to be effective at the core. As ultimately, play should involve some degree of agency, enabling children to take on an active role and ownership in their experiences, as well as recognising and trusting children to be competent, self-directed, and agents of their own playful learning journeys (The Lego Foundation UNICEF, 2018:7).
Children develop emotionally through play, as they can master emotional issues such as anxiety, frustration, traumatic situations, unfamiliar concepts, and overwhelming experiences in their play. As a result, play helps children find new ways of dealing with their emotions and their reality. This is achieved by affording them with opportunities to imitate, re-create, and rehearse roles that help them understand and solve problems related to everyday living.
Accordingly, they form relationships, share, cooperate, master their feelings, extend the range of their experience, test ideas, and form associations between objects, events, and concepts. Another key emotional benefit is that there is no right or wrong way to play and children develop positive attitudes. Therefore, children must have multiple experiences in play, which positively impacts their concepts of self (Chapter 10. Play and the Learning Environment, n.d: 271).
Through creativity, children use their imagination to conceive or construct something new. The early years are essential for the development of creativity; young children have many opportunities to express and develop their creative talents (Chapter 10. Play and the Learning Environment, n.d: 271) and given these points a play-based curriculum is crucial in the early years as it is experiential, child-centred, developmentally appropriate, and caters to specific interests of children (Lalani, 2020: 12).
Designing Play-Based Indoor Learning Environments
The design of the indoor play-based learning environment is especially important and should foster the following foundational skills in kindergarten:
- Cognition and Problem Solving
- Social and Emotional Skills
- Speech and Language Development
- Fine and Gross Motor Skills
It is important to bear in mind that kindergarten classrooms differ from learning spaces for older learners because of their focus on facilitating individual investigation and playful engagement with materials. Whether it's learners playing together in a group, or a learner independently focused on building with blocks, each area of the kindergarten classroom is dedicated to promoting growth and development which is a foundation for future learning and problem-solving (Early Childhood School Speciality, 2019).
Research has indicated that the way the classroom is arranged and the way it looks are significant because they influence children’s and adults’ behaviour. Therefore, when setting up the play-based classroom, educators should consider the following suggestions:\
- Learning centres should be multi purposeful and not only serve one specific centre topic.
- Have as much natural light in the classroom as possible as it not only reduces energy use but, most important, enhances task performance and improves the appearance of an area.
- Areas such as dramatic play and music should be located opposite to the quiet area, thus allowing each area to have its activities in a comfortable location (Chapter 10. Play and the Learning Environment. d.:262).
How Classroom Layouts Affect Play-Based Learning
An organised play-based learning environment provides learning experiences that focus on child development through play-based activities. When designing the indoor learning environment, not only is the analysis of activities important in the learning environment but the learners’ sensory needs have to be considered as well. Ramazan, Ciftçi & Tezel, (2018 in Lalani, 2020:12), further expands this notion that learning centres should be designed in such a manner that learners are empowered to direct their own learning and are free to make choices.
The learning centres are arranged as per the needs, interests, and skills of children; where the centres are flexible, adaptable and have open-ended materials.
In terms of physical elements, children find the world stimulating, exciting, and challenging and use their senses to discover this new world (Alsaif,.2011: 63). Hence, the layout of an early childhood classroom greatly impacts how efficiently educators can take advantage of and facilitate learning opportunities by ensuring that the learning centres are used optimally and how learners use the tools and supplies.
Learners will be more productive, engaged, and excited about learning new things when the environment accommodates their needs and supports the learning outcomes (Early Childhood School Speciality, 2019).
Creating a Safe Indoor Learning Environment for Children
Planning for child’s play is an important part of ensuring that the play environment is safe (Griswold, 2018:15). Safety is a priority in terms of the layout where every learner is within the educator’s range of vision. When considering children’s safety, the educator should think beyond the physical aspects of the classroom to ‘emotional safety’. A child that feels welcomed, secure and has their emotional needs met is better equipped to learn and develop.
Furthermore, the culture of a group of young learners comes into play when considering the types of furnishings and materials that will welcome and support young children. The classroom environment should aim to be both comfortable and functional, with thought to creating a sense of familiarity that reflects the family and culture of the home (Early Childhood School Speciality, 2019). Safe, responsive, and nurturing environments are an important part of supporting the learning and development of pre-schoolers.
Such environments also help to prevent challenging behaviours and serve as a core component of interventions for young children with identified disabilities (The IRIS Center, 2022). A supportive environment is well-organised, dependable, and flexible (Learning Environments: An Introduction. 2021). The indoor environment should provide learners with a secure, nurturing, and safe environment which presents itself as a ‘home away from home’ where they always have a sense of belonging.
Inclusive Indoor Play: Adapting the Learning Environment
One of the aspects of inclusive education is changing the environment to meet the needs of all learners. It does not only pertain to instruction for learners who require differentiated teaching and learning who learn at different rates, it considers the diverse range of learners to include their cultural, ethnic, and economic status.
Hence, equally important is the design of the classroom and the layout of the different learning centres. An idea is to label centres and frequently used materials in languages that represent the home languages of the children in the classroom including having children bring in pictures of their families for display in the classroom so that they feel comfortable and at home in their environment (The IRIS Center, 2022).
In terms of environmental design, consideration must be paid to the physical space within interest areas or pathways between interest areas to ensure that children with physical or mental disabilities can easily move around and participate. In addition, all children, but particularly children with social or behavioural needs or certain developmental disabilities, must benefit from a designated calming area, where they can easily access materials that help them mollify themselves and where they can spend time alone.
For children with autism or communication difficulties, it can also be helpful to provide multiple visual cues for how to use the spaces and materials. This could include providing a picture of children safely playing in the space within the entrance to each interest area or offering a small series of pictures showing, for example, how a child could pinch or roll clay with their hands or use the available clay tools next to the clay in the art area (The Indoor Environment: Designing and Organizing, 2021).
To effectively do so, educators can apply a concept known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which emphasises that the environment and its materials in it should be accessible to everyone. Creating this ease of access might involve providing books at different reading levels, placing materials within easy reach on a shelf, or creating ample space so that a child who uses a wheelchair can manoeuvre around the classroom (The IRIS Center, 2022).
With this approach in mind, the learning areas should then be set up to stimulate and challenge learners. A learning area is defined as a specific location where instructional materials are placed and organised in a classroom (Chapter 10. Play and the Learning Environment. n.d.:259).
Learners who are overwhelmed are less capable of learning and are more likely to contribute to disorder in the classroom. With the right number of materials available, educators can spend more time engaging learners, and less time exercising control in the classroom (Early Childhood School Speciality, 2019). Educators need to ensure that young children with disabilities can fully access and participate in learning experiences. They can do this by making minor changes to the physical environment, such as: (The IRIS Center, 2022).
- Change or adjust the chairs to meet children’s needs (e.g., making sure the children’s feet touch the floor, using a sensory cushion- a cushion that stimulates learners who crave sensory or tactile input when sitting, having bean bag chairs available).
- Putting squares or pictures on the floor to indicate where children should line up or sit.
- Modify materials, such as markers, to make them easier for children with motor difficulties to hold (e.g., using pencil grips).
- Providing specialised equipment (e.g., built-up handled spoons, adaptive scissors) as recommended by an occupational therapist or physical therapist to help children be more independent.
- Making room for specialised equipment (e.g., walker) or assistive technology(e.g., communication board).
- Creating individualised visual materials to help children to take part in daily routines (e.g., flip book) (The IRIS Center, 2022).
The Indoor Play Environment: A Medium for Learning
The indoor play environment has a significant role in terms of providing a medium for children to ‘learn through play’. According to Kay Redfield Jamison, “Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” (Your Therapy Source. n.d.). It is a necessity as it aids in the holistic development (physical, moral, social, emotional, cognitive, language) as well as the normative development of the child. Through play they learn about their world in which they are active participants and in so doing acquire skills that are a prerequisite for present and future relationships, study purposes including their career trajectory, for world of employment with a focus on their intra and interpersonal skills.
Subsequently, the layout of the indoor play environment is crucial to a learner’s holistic development The learner must be able to engage in meaningful learning opportunities whereby they learn more about themselves whilst they explore and discover the world around them, simultaneously developing their own abilities. For these reasons it is vital to create a stimulating indoor environment that develops learners that are creative, inventive and discoverers.
When planning for play, educators should not only focus on the structure of the environment where it is designed with a focus on the children’s strengths and abilities, but also to expand on the children’s current knowledge to allow for an increase in this knowledge (Griswold, 2018:13). Development and learning are complex and holistic, and yet basic skills across all developmental domains should be encouraged through play, including motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills (The Lego Foundation in support of UNICEF, 2018:8). Permanent learning spaces are normally placed around the perimeter of the classroom or in alcoves where with the movement and flow of the classroom is not hampered (Cox, 2019).
The link below provides insight into the messages that indoor environments send to learners.
https://stream.virtuallabschool.org/learning-env/3340/3340-480.mp4
Classroom Learning Centers: Examples and Benefits
1. The Discovery Learning Center
The discovery area is children’s gateway to scientific exploration. It contains materials meant for open-ended exploration. A wide variety of natural materials are often displayed for children to explore. Tools for exploration are also provided and some examples are:
- microscopes,
- magnifying glasses (Learning Environments: An Introduction. 2021).
- aquarium/terrarium (Chapter 10. Play and the Learning Environment. d.:262)
2. Setting Up a Creative Art Learning Center
The art area provides opportunities for children to express themselves and develop fine motor skills. Visual art can include painting, drawing, and sculpturing. This is a space for inspiration and creativity. Well-developed art areas include a variety of materials for children to use and explore, such as sponges, rollers, glitter and recycled materials of all types (Learning Environments: An Introduction. 2021). The art area provides a host of developmental advantages:
- develop children's creative thinking skills and provide the opportunity for self-expression.
- provide emotional release and strengthen self-image and self-confidence.
- develop an appreciation of aesthetics; and develop fine-motor skills.
Types of creative activities include the following:
- painting free expression.
- modelling with dough or playdough and making box or container constructions (