Kindergarten children's perspectives on play and learning

Abstract

Practitioners in play-based learning contexts face the challenge of developing developmentally appropriate practices while meeting rigorous academic curriculum standards. To date, play and academic learning have been predominantly conceptualized from an adult perspective. Considering that children are key agents in classroom play contexts, it is important to understand their views on play and learning. The purpose of this study was to explore children’s perspectives on the connectedness between play and learning and understand whether their views are related to the play types observed in their classrooms. Photo elicitation interviews were conducted with 134 kindergarten students and 10 hours of observation were held in each of the 10 classrooms. Results indicate that children’s understanding of the connectedness between play and academic learning were related to teacher presence in play and the types of play environments available in their classrooms. Implications for practitioners and researchers alike are discussed.