Talking About the Value of Play in ECE Environments
Photo by Camila Franco
A recent Edutopia online article provides practical tips for helping families better understand the value of play-based education in a preschool learning environment.
When parents ask questions such as “Why are they just playing?”, or “Where are their handwriting sheets?”, teachers may feel defensive, but the article, by Early Childhood Educator Sarah Fritz, notes the importance of remembering that these questions are rooted in love and worry that parents have that they are making the best choices for their children. Driven by their own school memories, social and media-driven expectations, and the pervasive myth that earlier means better, parents want to know that they are doing the best for their child.
It is important to be able to communicate the value and importance of play-based learning so that parents can understand why it is such a powerful educational tool.
The author explains, “In a highly engaged classroom, play isn’t random, it’s intentional…play is where the brain builds meaningful connections. Sitting at a desk and completing worksheets might look productive, but it often builds compliance rather than curiosity. For children to wire the complex cognitive and executive function skills they need later in school, they need movement, interaction, and hands-on learning that leads to discovery.”
Fritz identifies a set of skills that parents should know are being built during play:
Oral language and vocabulary through songs, stories and conversations
Early literary awareness through rhymes, sound play and storytelling
Math and spatial skills through block building, puzzles and sorting
Social and emotional growth through naming feelings, practising empathy and learning routines
ndependence and confidence through choice-making and problem-solving
The author offers “a few go-to phrases I’ve used, or coached others to use, during parent meetings, daily drop-offs, and quick chats at pickup, in response to parents’ concerns:
“Play is a developmentally appropriate way to learn at this age. When they build with blocks or play pretend, they’re building vocabulary, math skills, and problem-solving.”
“There won’t be much of a paper trail because we focus on hands-on experiences.”
“Instead of worksheets, we do rich activities and provocations that help your child think deeply and explore.”
“We’re building the foundation for reading, like recognizing letters, hearing sounds in words, and loving books. Skipping those steps often causes problems that are harder to fix later.”
“We’re watching for growth in areas like following directions, managing feelings, and using language to solve problems. These skills will help your child have a smooth transition to kindergarten.”
Some suggestions Fritz makes to assist in building trust and communication with parents include:
Photographs with captions, e.g. posted pictures of children working, with clear intentional captions such as “Building fine motor skills while exploring color mixing.”
Weekly newsletters, giving a brief update on learning goals and skills, with pictures/stories giving examples of what is happening through play in your classroom.
Sharing positive observations with parents at pickup time, e.g. “Did you see how your child problem-solved during cleanup today?” As well as showing thoughtfulness, these help build trust.
The author ends by noting that preschool teachers are not just educators, but community builders. These brief interactions with parents can benefit the child’s learning process and help to build clearer understanding by parents of current research that has enhanced our understanding of how brain development works in a child.