Learning Through Play

Supporting the Early Years Learning Framework

Anne Kennedy and Lennie Barblett

The Early Years Learning Framework defines play-based learning as:

‘A context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage actively with people, objects and representations’

(DEEWR, 2009, p. 46).

This definition links with the notions of belonging, being and becoming which are underpinning motifs in the EYLF. One of the most important ways children make sense of their social worlds is through playing with others. Social play helps children to develop a sense of belonging in a group as they interact with others and learn how to negotiate rules for positive social interactions. The development of a positive sense of self is promoted through early play experiences because there are no wrong or right ways to do things. This freedom from rules helps children to feel confident and competent as learners and teachers of others (Learning Outcomes 1 and 4).

Being affirms children’s right to play and to enjoy their childhoods without the pressure of conforming to narrow goals for learning which have been predetermined by adults.

When educators respect children’s being, they focus on children’s lives in the here and now and support children’s understanding of their uniqueness and worth as individuals and contributors in the groups where they belong. Play provides opportunities for children to learn about themselves (their being) and others (Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 4).

As children develop, the values, knowledge and skills they gain provide the foundations for the next phase. In this sense, children are both being and becoming at the same time. Children who have had stories told or read to them from infancy, and who are encouraged to engage with stories in books and through social play for example, are being literate as they pretend to read a book to a teddy. At the same time they are learning foundational skills and knowledge about how books and stories work which helps them to become literate in the formal sense when they read the words in books.