The Original Learning Approach Q&A Part 2

How do we approach a conversation with those who hesitate to encourage play?

Recording of this post, for those who prefer to listen.

I think the first and foremost thing we should always do when someone hesitates to do anything is to find out why.

In this case why is play not something that they want to encourage?

Is it lack of understanding of the benefits of play for the whole child (really, human, because we all need play regardless of age)?

Is it because they feel it will spiral into chaos? Or that they feel there is no time for play because of all the must-do’s placed upon them by the authorities? Or that they feel that parental expectation forces them to cut back the play, and if they “do more play” then parents won’t use their service (their livelihood)? Or maybe some other reason?

Finding the reason is where we need to start the dialogue - there are no standard answers but there is a need to meet the actual concerns of that individual.

Much of my work as a consultant is observing children’s play and documenting it, reflecting and analysing those notes, films and photos, connecting it to the curriculum and learning goals and how to make plans for the environment, activities and teachable moments. I share this with the educators I am working with - so that they can better notice the value of play, find the words and ways to document, and prove to parents and the authorities that educational goals are being met and that they can better connect the children’s play to their own teaching - so that lessons become more meaningful, relevant and playful. Playful activities and playful lessons are not the same thing as play - but they are better than boring, extremely teacher directed, controlled, listening-only lessons.

If children go wild when they play, and it is complete negative chaos (which I interpret as several children, or more, do not feel safe) my first assumption is that these children are behaving as if they have been let loose from a leash and need to test how far they can push things. Children who are/have not been heavily controlled within a loving relationship rooted in respect and equity will be more likely to play in a balanced way. The loving reciprocal relationships will have served as guidelines as to how to treat others with trust and respect (instead of control), and the prior experience of play permission will mean there is no need to test where the limits are, because they already know.

Limits grow with children - individually and as a group. I often describe it like a cathedral (I was born in a city with the largest gothic cathedral north of the Alps, so it seemed a natural analogy). I wouldn’t give a one year old full range of the cathedral to play as they wanted. I would provide a space that was large enough for them to explore, but not overwhelming, and excluded elements that would be dangerous for one year olds on their own (but maybe did excursions to the other areas to test). This way I know the environment is safe for them to play freely. I would add things to continue to challenge and inspire them, and over time expand the amount of space they could explore. If they wanted to start exploring the spiral staircases and balconies etc then I would make sure that I was exposing them to other steps to practise on and ensure that they had the strength and skill to master them safely; and to expose them to heights so they understand the impacts of heights and jumping and what their own limits are in order to keeps themselves and others safe.. it is not just about expanding the limits… it is also about ensuring I am providing an adequately rich space, adequate time for practice and adequate information/teaching/interactions so that they can learn. If I am not doing this then all that happens when I expand the area is that I am more likely to increase the control to keep them safe.

Sometimes, as educators, we start with wanting to offer them the whole cathedral, and we go round saying “don’t do that” “not there”, “only with me”, “not that way” etc because that is the way we keep them safe. Just as children don’t start off running and jumping - but first discovering what their hands and feet can do as infants, strengthening muscles, working on balance, learning how to roll over, then sit, then stand and crawl and eventually toddle; we cannot offer children spaces that requires them to run and negotiate beyond their capacity. It takes years later until they can do steps with one foot on each step, learning how to jump and then hop… there are soo many things they are learning constantly through their play… not only discovering, but also mastering, so the need for repetition is important. The brain does not want to waste energy on thinking about stuff all the time - it wants to automate as much as possible - just like when we learn to ride a bike we need to think about pedalling, balance, direction, surface, speed, how to stop, where the breaks are etc etc - and once mastered many of these elements of riding a bike become automatic and no longer need to be processed by the thinking brain - it is simply done - leaving energy for the brain to do other things - either then (noticing the landscape or traffic) or later - no need for a nap more time for fun!

Play is not just for learning, it if for well-being, relationship building, language development, muscle building, skeleton strengthening, balance training, sensory processing and much more… yet constantly play activists are being pushed into giving play value by saying what children learn through play… and in early years settings very often the only lens we are allowed to view play is that of pedagogy. This is one of the many reasons why I created the Original Learning Approach - a space to reflect on the complexity of play interwoven with teaching and learning.

Only focusing on the education side of early childhood education is like saying a forest is only trees (this substack of mine is described as “arboreal dialogues about play and pedagogy”!). What about the other plants, the soil, which is far from inert ( for instance 1g of forest soil can contain as many as a billion bacteria, up to a million fungi, hundreds of thousands of protozoans, and nearly a thousand roundworms) the animals - birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, insects etc and more (rocks, debris etc) - they all make up the forest - yet often we simply focus on the trees.

I like to think of the play-ecosystem when it comes to early childhood education - teaching and learning are a part of that ecosystem - there is also the relationships between the humans (adults and children) and more than human, the stuff (furniture, tools, toys, materials etc) the space, the context, the knowledge, the imagination, the play… we need to tend to the whole play-ecosystem for it to thrive and not only focus on one part.

At the moment we need to lift play and relationships because they have been forgotten or silenced - but this lifting does not mean we forget the teaching and the other important parts of a balanced ecosystem - but so that we ensure that we are not depriving the ecosystem of what it needs to thrive.

Maybe early childhood is like a wetland forest - the abundance of water is like an abundance of play. Without all that water that particular ecosystem will not thrive. As we grow we become rainforests, still lots of water but in a completely different way. Then other forests with a lesser need for water, to eventually as adults we are deserts filled with cacti - still needing water but able to go long periods without because of the way they are able to self regulate - but again, too long without water will have devastating effects. How we play changes over time, but we all need it. When I spoke to Kisha Reid about how play feels and how we can recognise play, she responded by saying play is what we do when the musts stop. And I think this is so true. Play is our human default, because it is what is best for the brain. Alison Gopnik writes that children are butterflies and we adults are the caterpillars (busy focusing on eating leaves)… we work work work so that children can play and flit from flower to flower (not needing to focus but free to explore) free from musts (of course this is a rather imaginative play with the reality of the butterfly life-cycle) but it is a visual to imagine that it’s not the hard working children that become carefree fluttering adults - but adults that work hard so that children don’t have more musts than necessary - we all have musts in life - what we adults must sort out is which ones of these musts help them to become the competent, creative, caring members of a community and which ones are simply about control and have no benefits, or maybe are even actually detrimental.

Forest of Play by AI

On the 7th March I will be launching my Travel Diary - where I will be sharing reflections of my travels to England, Greece, Bali and Vietnam in March and April. This will be daily reactions through films (vlogging) and photos, with room to ask questions for my next day reaction… this is behind a paywall. A way to afford to keep this space of writing free for everyone. Many thanks for your support. Please choose the option, paid or free that suits your circumstances best.