Learning Through Play

Supporting the Journey2012 After School Training Conference

Cooperation Strategies & Skills

Tell A story about your childhood and play

Who did you play with?

What did you do?

What did you play with?

Where did you spend most of your time playing?

How supervised were you?

Qualities of Play

• Happens all the time• Is a natural way to learn

• Experimentation• Exploration• Example• Empathy

INFORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING…

• Harnesses the natural power of EL

• Is a formal way to support learning

• Can be a playful way to address learning standards and skill building

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

Unstructured Free Play = Experiential Learning

Child-led (can have adult participation)

Independent and non-screen

Promotes intellectual, physical, and emotional well-being

Helps children learn how to: negotiate, resolve conflicts, regulate emotions & behavior, and speak up for themselves

Builds active, healthy bodies

Fosters empathy and creativity

Provide toys & materials that stimulate imagination

Recognized by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Article 31: “recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child...”

Unstructured Free Play Examples

Climbing, running, jumping, tumbling, exploring, biking, walking, tag, skipping

Looking at and “reading” books, playing with puzzles, blocks, musical instruments

Creating make-believe worlds, with dress-up clothes, pots and pans, toy cars, and art materials

Indoors or outside

Alone or with others

Guided Play = Experiential Education

Adult facilitated

Contributes to child’s development

Can have a point or lesson

Allows children to learn and practice skills

Creates shared Experiences

Is voluntary and frequently involves choice

Involves everyone without elimination

Tends to be cooperative rather than competitive

Offers opportunities at each person’s skill level

Examples of Guided Play

Musical Games

Games such as “follow the leader” or “Simon says”

Ice Breakers

Skill builders

Problem solving activities

Scavenger hunts

Square or line dancing

Cooking

Blue Jellybeans

• Eager• Ecstatic• Embarrassed• Energetic• Enraged• Envious• Excited• Exhausted

• Shocked• Shy• Silly• Smart• Smug• Strong• Surprised• Suspicious

•What does [word] mean?

•How does it feel to be [word]?

•What happens to make you feel [word]?

•How can you tell someone might be feeling [word] by looking at them?

• Unstructured free play allows children to learn experientially

• Supports social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development

• The main adult role is to keep children safe

Summary

• Guided play is a form of experiential education that taps into a natural way to learn

• Can be used to teach skills and content.

• The main adult role is to facilitate learning through processing and reflection.

Summary

Ideas for Your Program

• Schedule time for free play• Be intentionally spontaneous• Play with students• Explore• Add playful activities to concepts and

skills students need to learn• Notice instead of judge or value

Laurie FrankGOAL Consulting

www.goalconsulting.org

Outdoor Pursuits

Adventure Based Counseling

Inquiry

Service LearningArt, Play, Music, Drama Therapies

SimulationsExperience Based

Training and Development

Environmental Education

Internships

Expeditionary Learning

Adventure/Challenge Education

Experiential Education

And more…