Play Pedagogy and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education

James Ewald Johnson, Professor Emeritus, Early Childhood Emphasis Area, Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education, The Pennsylvania State University-University Park, PA, USA

Play Pedagogy and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education

Play responsive teaching is valued because it is child-sensitive but not child-centered, allowing for teachers to provide their children with diverse opportunities for learning important skills, abilities, and dispositions. By not restricting them to the reinforced imitation pattern inherent in the instructional model of expository teaching-receptive learning, teachers and children have greater freedom in being activity-centered or task-centered in ways that are neither child(ren)-nor teacher(s)-centered.

Here are some important points about the relationships among teaching, play, and learning.

• Teaching leads to learning, and child(ren playing leads to learning, and teaching playing leads to even more learning. However, adult teachers do not play at teaching or play while teaching. Seriously teaching, teachers can enhance the play of children by performing various professional roles.
• Teacher roles in play of children include setting up environments and situations for play, doing assessments based on systematic observations, and encouraging autonomous play that is determined by the child(ren). Play is a medium of learning (alpha play). When teachers guide or direct or orchestrate activities, the freedom needed for autonomous play is lost, and the play is a context for learning (beta play). Beta play can become alpha play if the child(ren) likes it and it becomes intrinsically motivated.
• Teaching enhances play that deepens learning that informs teaching in a dynamic three- way process. The quality of the play does not improve without learning. Children’s learning improves play that informs teaching that further positively affects children’s learning, that then improves subsequent play. Play pedagogy implemented properly leads to this progression.

Play enhanced learning connecting young children with the natural and the social world can be accomplished by early childhood educators in various ways that are developmentally enhancing, culturally appropriate, and academically rigorous.

Here are some important points about play and curriculum and early childhood educational programming in general.

Three different schemes for play in the curriculum include: (1) the “trust in play” (alpha play); that is, free play or self-determined/ autonomous play by a child or a group of children); (2) “teach and learn through various forms of play” (beta play); that is, teacher guided, directed, or orchestrated play; and (3) “keep play out of the curriculum”.  The third scheme can be called a segregation model (keeping play and schoolwork totally separate, except for recess or ‘breaktime’ when recreational but not educational play occurs).  The first and second schemes can be called either a juxtaposition or an integration model. The juxtaposition model temporally keeps play and instruction apart, but pairs play times with instructional times sharing thematic content and materials fostering educational aims. The integration model blends opportunities for playing and learning and teaching.

Another curriculum and play model has been advanced that goes deeper than play=curriculum. This model makes a distinction between play-generated curriculum and curriculum generated play.  In the curriculum-generated model the teacher provides opportunities to play in accord with curricular goals. For example, an indoor board game inspired by locust flowers could be played to foster learning numbers and letter words and basic concepts and skills such as number line and counting, expectations afforded by playing The Locust Flower Board Game.  

In contrast, the play-generated curriculum means that play comes first and is used by the teacher to develop and build learning goals for the group of children, as well as individualized instruction.  Play is the source of the curriculum using either the juxtaposition or the integration model referred to above.  On the spot curricular networking of play is used by the teacher concurrent with live play (integration model or saved for another time in the classroom daily or weekly schedule.  

Here are some important points about the Project Approach.

• The Project Approach, unlike Projects, Units, Themes, and Learning Centers, has three phases of a focused investigation following the children’s questions and interests in the chosen topic, over at least a couple weeks.
• It starts in phase 1 with selecting a suitable (not too broad or narrow) topic that is chosen by the children or suggested by the teacher after carefully observing and discussing with the children their interests. For example, Peacock Flowers would be a good focus in Guyana.
• The teacher begins by discussing Peacock Flowers and asking the children what they already know about them, and what they want to learn about them.  A concept web is made showing all the associations children can make to Peacock Flowers.
• Tentative anticipated curricular activities are discussed with children and parents enlisting the families’ partnership.  A field site is chosen to go to, and experts including parents can be invited to class to help with investigating the focal topic or a related topic associated with the main topic of the project. Field site visits and classroom visitors take place in phase 2. Children engage in inquiry play, representing information and organizing to prepare for phase 3.  Teachers and parents then assist children in planning and doing a program and a celebration for a real audience about what they learned as a group.
• Play in the project approach comes in many forms, including games, socio-dramatic play, building and drawing, and narratives and songs and making poems and dances connected to the focus of learning. Curricular networking of the focus of the Project Approach happens as a matter of course, connecting Project Approach play and inquiry activities to numeracy and literacy standards, social studies, and arts and music.  As such, the Project Approach represents an Intellectual Program in action, not a traditional Academic one.

Here are some important points about play advocacy.

• Research play topics and collect resources on the importance of play.
• Observe children’s play and talking with them about play.
• Talk with parents and grandparents about their memories and play values.
• Take inventories of play opportunities already existing in communities, schools, and homes.
• Assess play needs and interests with teachers, parents, administrators, and community leaders.  What are the play areas, activities, and events?
• Information should be organized, synthesized, and discussed leading to position papers and action plans. Organize focus groups, meetings to obtain and share information.
• Host a play day at school. Lobby for better play.
• Write to policy makers, editors of magazines; use social media.

Suggested Readings

Axelsson, S. ((2023). The original learning approach: Weaving together playing, learning and teaching in early childhood. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Helm, J. & Katz, L. (2016). Young Investigators: The project approach in the early years (Third Edition). NY: Teacher College Press.

Johnson, J. (2016). Play, curriculum, and pedagogy. In D. Couchenour & J.K. Chrisman (Eds.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of contemporary early childhood education. 3.. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, pp. 1007-1010.

Semple-McBean, M., Wintz, G., &Lashley, L. (2025). The status of nature play in Guyanese early childhood settings. American Journal of Play, 17(1), 47-74.