Play is essential for children’s holistic development, enabling them to express emotions, experiences, and creativity (Landreth, 1993). Several researchers have come to the conclusion that play in early childhood years teaches children the art of being human, activating their senses and encouraging active engagement with the world. Through play, children learn about the world, and themselves.
In International Baccalaureate (IB) Early years setting, play-based learning is a vital approach that nurtures young learners’ curiosity, creativity, and love for learning. This pedagogical approach aligns perfectly with the IB’s mission to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and compassionate individuals. In this article, we will explore the world of play-based learning, understanding its principles, benefits and practical strategies for implementation.
What is Play-based Learning?
Play-based learning is an educational approach that leverages play as a primary vehicle for learning. It recognises that children’s natural inclination to explore, experiment, and imagine is essential to their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. By providing a supportive environment, teachers facilitate children’s play, guiding them towards discovery, inquiry, and construction of knowledge.
What are the benefits of Play-based Learning in IB Early Years?
The benefits of play-based learning in IB Early Years are numerous. By engaging in play, Early Years learners develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It enhances their creativity and imagination, fosters curiosity and inquiry, improves memory and concentration and develops spatial awareness and mathematical understanding.
Also read: Early childhood education: Reasons to opt for IB PYP Early Years at GIIS
What kinds of play experiences do GIIS EYP students engage in?
At GlIS, our IB Early Years Programme (EYP) students incorporate play-based learning into their daily routine, exploring various opportunities for growth. Their schedule includes free play where they are given uninterrupted blocks of time to explore, experiment, and engage in activities without adult direction for self- directed exploration, experimentation, and interest-led discovery.
It’s unstructured, child-led and driven by their own interests and curiosities. Students also engage in structured play where they are given specific activities that are intentionally designed and facilitated by teachers to achieve specific learning objectives. Pretend play, also known as imaginative or dramatic play, is also another kind of play that EYP students at GIIS engage into. It’s a type of play where children use their imagination to create scenarios, roles, and stories, often using props and materials that are found in their learning environment.
What’s new in IB Early Years at GIIS?
At GIIS, the IB Early Years Programme ( IB EYP) students are currently inquiring into their unit on “People explore their environment through relationships.” As they explored their learning environment – their classroom, the Learning Commons, and even their play areas in school, students noticed that there are things in their environment that have life and there are those that were not alive.
This led them to take out their magnetic blocks and LEGOs and create a representation of their observation showing what were the living things that they have seen, and what were the non-living things they encountered around them. They recreated their learning space and engaged with active discussions with their peers and their teachers.
Play-based learning develops independence and self-directed learning among young learners. It also develops communication skills, empathy and understanding of others — fostering collaboration and enhancing social skills.
Practising phonetic sounds through play
On another instance, during their language class, EYP students at GIIS independently used beads from their loose-parts corner of their classroom to create a phonics necklace using pipe cleaners. They used this necklace to practise their phonetic sounds.
By incorporating play-based learning, IB Early Years educators at GIIS provide a solid foundation for children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and personal growth, setting them up for success in the IB Primary Years Programme and beyond.
If you are interested to know more about our IB Early Years Programme at GIIS, please feel free to connect with our admissions counsellors.
Odaia B Ranido
Ms. Ranido is the IB Early Years and PYP coordinator for GIIS Singapore. She has over 20 years of teaching experience in different international and bilingual schools in Southeast Asia. She spent the last 11 years leading the implementation of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) as a coordinator and teacher. She completed her Masters of Arts in Education from Sheffield Hallam University, UK in 2015. Ms. Ranido joined the Global Indian International School, EC Campus in July, 2019.
