A Case for Increasing Play in Education

Play — exploration, practice, invention, discovery — is a fundamental pathway to learning in both social and academic spheres.  According to the United Nations, children have The Right to Play!  Read on to learn more about the right to play, benefits of play, and for several links to resources and information.

United Nations Article 31

In 1989, the United Nations convened a UN committee on the Rights of the Child.  “Taking due account of the importance of the traditions and cultural values of each people for the protection and harmonious development of the child.” ¹ Among the 41 Articles of the UN document, designed to elucidate the rights of children, was Article 31.

1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.  ²

While this right rests among others, such as a right to life, the right to a name, the right to living with parents, the right to information, the right to a standard of living that supports well being, the rights of children with disabilities, and the right to education, the right to play is recognized as representative of the relative health of childhood.³ 

The last 25 years has seen varying efforts among countries to further define and implement the rights of the child, with the publication of 13 General Comments (as of 2012).   A General Comment is a quasi legal document published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which provides a detailed interpretation of an article or issue related to the UNCRC.  In Comment 1, published in 2001, “the aims of education” were described:

Basic skills include not only literacy and numeracy but also life skills such as the ability to make well-balanced decisions; to resolve conflicts in a nonviolent manner; and to develop a healthy lifestyle, good social relationships and responsibility, critical thinking, creative talents, and other abilities which give children the tools needed to pursue their options in life.⁴

To read the UN Preamble on The Rights of the Child, go here: Convention on the Rights of the Child 

Benefits of Play

Many of the capacities developed through play are the ones most vital for children’s futures, both academically and socially.  These include problem-solving, communication, collaboration, innovation, and creative thinking. Numerous longitudinal studies support the foundational role that play has in the development of these capacities. 

One early look at the importance of play was done in Germany in the 1970s.  It documented a comparison of 50 play-based kindergarten classes with 50 early-learning centers pushing early cognitive achievement.  The study found that “by age ten the children who had played excelled over the others in a host of ways.  They were more advanced in reading and mathematics and they were better adjusted socially and emotionally in school.  They excelled in creativity and intelligence, oral expression, and ‘industry.’ As a result of this study German kindergartens returned to being play-based again.”⁵

Another shining example is Finland, which promotes high-quality child care for all, and maintains play-based programs even in first grade.  Students from Finland, despite a much later emphasis on cognitive achievement, often rank at or near the top on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), a test of literacy, math and science given to 15-year olds in 57 of the wealthiest countries of the world.⁶

In contrast to the assumption that early emphasis on cognitive achievement will yield greater achievement in literacy, Sebastian Suggate of New Zealand’s University of Otago, conducted three studies which found no evidence to support this.  One important study looked at children in Waldorf schools where reading instruction begins at age seven, compared with children in schools where it begins at age five.  At the age of 12, students had no significant differences in reading fluency and comprehension.⁷

Another well-known long-term study, The Perry Study, gathered data on children from three groups of pre-schoolers, and found that the children who were not in a play-based program had serious problems in overall development.  This study looked at pre-school students in highly scripted direct instruction programs, students in traditional nursery schools, and children in the HighScope program, where children learned through group time and play.  The children were followed until age 23.  Of great concern was that nearly half the students in the direct instruction programs needed special education compared to 6% of the other students.  In addition, 34% had been arrested for a felony offense, compared to 9% of the others.  Play advocates and authors Joan Almon and Edward Miller, write in their article, The Crisis in Early Education, A Research-Based Case for More Play and Less Pressure:

The results are clear: When at-risk children get inappropriate early education it has a lasting negative effect. Yet millions of young children in recent years have been subjected to schooling that demands too much too soon. We are not reducing the learning gap with such methods; we are intensifying the problems. It is time for educators and policymakers to adopt the rule that guides the medical community:  First, do no harm.⁸

Check out these tools and resources from The Alliance for Childhood:

Playwork and Play Fact Sheet

Time For Play Every Day Fact Sheet

Nature Resource List

Crisis in Kindergarten

The aforementioned authors have penned a short book for Alliance for Childhood, titled, Crisis in the Kindergarten.  This report magnifies the importance of play in early education and academic achievement.  It also reports on nine recent studies, performed in the United States, looking at kindergarten programs and achievement.  Three of the studies were qualitative, performed by independent researchers, and looked at kindergarteners in New York and Los Angeles, surveying schools for data, interviewing 254 kindergarten teachers, and performing multiple observations in 14 schools.   Six of the studies were quantitative, and involved analysis by a wide range of eminent researchers including U.S. Department of Education evaluation experts, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, and university scholars.⁹

 A summary of this research is provided by Elena Bodrova and Deborah Leong, early childhood researchers who developed the “Tools of the Mind” curriculum:

In a comprehensive review of numerous studies on play, researchers found evidence that play contributes to advances in “verbalization, vocabulary, language comprehension, attention span, imagination, concentration, impulse control, curiosity, problem-solving strategies, cooperation, empathy, and group participation.”¹⁰

They go on to state that “further, research directly links play to children’s ability to master such academic content as literacy and numeracy.”

In chapter 7 of Crisis in the Kindergarten, Almon and Miller describe twelve types of play and their benefits to the learner.  These include large-motor play, small-motor play, mastery play, rules-based play, construction play, make-believe play, symbolic play, language play, playing with the arts, sensory play, rough-and tumble play, and risk-taking play.   They outline a continuum of instruction from highly scripted didactic instruction to the laissez-faire classroom.  They suggest that a successful classroom creates a healthy balance.  In order to achieve this balance, educators need to be playful themselves, and provide purposeful opportunities for children to engage in all forms of play.

12 Key Types of Play Fact Sheet

There are numerous benefits to play, from overall physical and emotional health, to academic readiness and scholarly habits.   Children seem to know this as they can be observed working hard at play.  Teachers, administrators, and parents also need to understand the benefits of play, if they are to foster healthy development.  Psychologist David Elkind is quoted in The Serious Need for Play, by Melinda Wenner: “Play has to be reframed and seen not as an opposite to work but rather as a compliment.  Curiosity, imagination, and creativity are like muscles: if you don’t use them, you lose them.”¹¹

If children have a right to play, then the adults who work with them must promote that right.  Educators must understand child development and its stages.  They need to be able to recognize and promote all the forms of play.  They must create opportunities for child-initiated play, combined with an active presence.   Educators must observe children’s play, take cues from it, and enrich and enlarge its scope, in order to enhance its value in education.   Not only does there need to be ample time for play in a balanced school schedule, there needs to be a full range of hands-on activities offered.  Play stimulates the imagination, provides opportunities to practice learning, and is often inspired by real work.   There is a dynamic interaction between teachers and children that is at the heart of learning, and at the heart of purposeful play. 

Childhood Poster and Fact Sheet

The Case for Recess

Typically in the United States, as children leave behind the play-based programs of pre-school, and of kindergarten (if they are fortunate), their only opportunities for play during the school day are during recess.  However, recess practices in the United States do not match those of other countries, more top-ranking in international tests.  The article, A Research-Based Case for Recess, by Olga S. Jarrett, outlines some of the recess practices in varied countries.  It reports that students in English primary schools have recess breaks in the morning and the afternoon, as well as a long lunch.  Japanese students receive 10-20 minute breaks between 45-minute lessons.  Finnish and Turkish students have 15 minutes of play after each 45 minutes of work.  Ugandan students, who have an eight-hour school day, get a half hour of play in the morning, one hour for lunch and play, and 1.5 hours of activity time (sports, music, art, free-choice playtime) in the afternoon.¹² 

In contrast, recess in the United States is far less, and has experienced cut backs.   Typically, US primary schools delegate 20 minutes to recess and 40 minutes to lunch each school day.  That is at least 30 minutes less than the schools above.   Since the enactment of NCLB (No Child Left Behind, 2001), 20% of US school systems decreased recess time by an average of 50 minutes a week.  A study in 2006 indicated that 57% of school systems required regularly scheduled recess in elementary school.  However, while schools claim they have recess, who actually gets recess is another issue.  Randomly selected schools have been found to have only 79% of students receiving recess, with African Americans and other minorities at 75%.  In these schools, students are deprived of recess as punishment for a range of misbehaviors, including noise in the hall, talking back, tantrums, not finishing homework, and not finishing class work.¹³ 

Jarrett reports that one of the best cases to support the need for recess (besides the obesity epidemic among children), is the plethora of research on the brain, particularly on attention and memory.   The brain cannot maintain attention for long periods of time.  It requires contrast or novel stimulation to reset attention.  In order to process information there must be down time, to recycle chemicals crucial for long-term memory formation.  Attention, a prerequisite of learning, is known to be cyclical, involving 90-110 minute rhythmical patterns throughout the day.  Research, and meta-analysis of hundreds of studies, suggests that cognitive functioning depends on physical activity.  Studies have shown students to be less fidgety after recess.  Students have performed better on literary tasks after they have had recess.  And children raise their hands more often after recess breaks.¹⁴  These improvements suggest that recess might actually improve achievement.  Yet many children are denied this right or adequate access to the breaks that will support their success.

Recess has also been associated with the development of social competency.  During recess, children actively share in folk culture, make choices, develop rules for play, and confront, interpret and learn from meaningful social experiences. In these ways children learn problem-solving, planning, practice leadership, resolve conflicts, and associate with children of varied backgrounds and ethnicities.¹⁵  Recess, for some children, may be the only place to practice social skills.  When playground interventions are also applied, such as Peaceful Playgrounds, Healthy Play, or Playworks, there is evidence of lower incidences of bullying, and that children generalize better behavior to other settings.¹⁶  Educators need to be aware of the benefits of recess and promote its role in healthy child development.

For ideas and activities about supporting healthy social play in recess and your lessons, check out the book and trainings here:

Creative Spirit

Play is a Right of Childhood and a Means to Global Well-being

The United Nations and their declarations for the rights of children, are a beacon for educators, families, and policymakers. Play is a right of childhood, and an essential part of learning.  Learning is affective as well as cognitive.  By connecting to the emotional brain, we open up the intellectual brain.   

Article 29 of the UNCRC states:  “1.  States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to: a) The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;” and “d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin;”¹⁷

Play, both inside the classroom and outside the classroom, is necessary to direct children’s lives toward those goals.  It is the arena within which children obtain the experiences and skills to use what they have learned for the purposes of integrating with society.  Through play, children develop their potentials for problem-solving,  communication, collaboration, innovation, and creative thinking.  Imagine,  capturing the essence of play, the work of children, and using it in all of our endeavors! 

If we can protect and promote the right to play for all children, we may just be protecting and promoting life as global citizens of Earth.   

Doren Damico is a veteran education specialist who loves to read. Doren is committed to linking research, resources and wise advice to her articles.  Subscribe below to follow the Playful Minds Guide for more guidance and resources.

The Right to Play End Notes

1. United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,(1989).  Preamble for The Rights of the Child

http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx ,  web May 26, 2015 

2. United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,  Article 31 of The Rights of the Child(1989). http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx, web May 26, 2015

3.  The Alliance for Childhood, (March 2009). Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need Play in School, p46, 2009, www.allianceforchildhood.org, web May 25, 2015

4.  International Play Association, (April 17, 2001).  General Comment no. 1, Article 29 (1):  The Aims of Education, point 9, http://ipaworld.org/childs-right-to-play/un-general-comment/what-is-a-un-general-comment-2/pg 4, web May 25, 2015  International Play Association

5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Almon, Joan, and Miller, Edward, The Crisis in Early Education A Research Based Case for More Play and Less Pressure, (2011).  Alliance for Childhood, www.allianceforchildhood.org, web May 26, 2015

10. Almon, Joan and Miller, Edward, Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, (2009).  College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood, www.allianceforchildhood.org, web May 24, 2015

11.  Wenner, Melinda, “The Serious Need for Play,” Scientific American Mind (February-March 2009); http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-serious-need-for-play&page=5, web May 25, 2015.

12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Jarrett, Olga S., A Research-Based Case for Recess, (November 2013). Georgia State University, www.usplaycoalition.clemson.edu, web May 26, 2015

17.  United Nations Human Rights, Office of the Commissioner, The Rights of the Child, Article 29, (1989). http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx , web May 26, 2015