Piaget Learning Through Play

Learning through play is simply the best way to learn at any age. I have been involved in teaching children and young people for as long as I care to remember – long before a career in teaching I was babysitting and looking after little ones at church. I can remember doing my girl guide badge on play and the toddler I did my badge on is a teacher to be herself!! One of the theorists I learned was Piaget Learning through play.

Play Based Learning

Piaget has been a huge influence on why play is important and helps us to recognise what type of play is common in the different stages of childhood. Play can be broadly defined as an enjoyable activity that is pursued for pleasure or its own sake. It can be contrasted with activities that have explicitly defined learning outcomes, or games, which are likely to have clearer rules or a competitive element. Play-based activities might be solitary or social, and involve a combination of cognitive and physical elements. Activities might be adult-guided, for example through the suggestion of a scenario for pretend play. In other cases, activities will be largely child-initiated (“free-play”), with adult involvement focused on the provision of props, or the design and management of the learning environment.

Piaget Stages

The first stage is where the baby is trying to make sense of the world. This post gives some ideas on play based learning for 0-2yr olds. Piaget identified four stages and 0 -2 is the first stage (Sensorimotor stage). From eight months play becomes intentional. The child knows that a rattle, for example, will give a response.

At this stage, our children are learning through the use of the five senses so we should encourage play which is tactile.

Play without toys

Sit baby on your lap and pull faces, watch as they experiment back at you. Remember you are you child’s greatest toy!

Get a play mat

A play mat is a great investment especially if baby is rewarded with hanging toys, lights or sounds. The first stage of play is putting everying to their mouth. This is due to the sucking and rooting reflex that provides food for them.

Find a mirror

Babies love to see the baby looking back at them. Erin sits in front of our wardrobe mirrors capitivated!

Once baby reaches 8 months they have more ability to play. This is the time to invest in more sensory toys.

Our favourite was Teddy

From age 1 baby will be looking to use more of the senses and developing more control. Erin loved toys that moved or surprised her with popping balls.

At 16 months Erin is developing an understanding of pressing buttons to get a reaction, shape sorters are ideal from this age.
Musical instruments are also great as they challenge the senses (well mine anyway!) as obviously they make a noise, the baby can feel the vibrations also.

Whilst I am not the most creative person I do always try to give my children lots of opportunities to play. One of my favourite pics of recent times is of them all colouring together.

Play is endless play is fun and the best thing you can do is just get on the floor and play together. Remember you don’t have to have all the lastest toys – that will come with pesterpower when they are older. use what you hve in the home, bang a saucepan with a wooden sponn. Make a rattle with dried rice in a jar. More importantly have fun together.

Piaget is not the only theorist who believes play is important in primary schools there has been a remergence of play in EYFS, and in the moment planning.

This means meeting the children where they are are turning their play into teaching moments. It is child led and simply brilliant for engagement. Young children have a natural desire to learn, explore and question. Settings should offer an environment that enables child-initiated play in order to capture the moment of engagement. Careful observation by practitioners is key to utilising the approach. Opportunities to seize the moment when a child shows interest in an activity which can be built upon needs to be recognised, these are normally called ‘teachable moments’. Written ‘planning’ is then carried out in the form of observations, records of the interactions and notes on the outcomes.

We’ve put together a few tips to help you:

• Provide opportunities and environments that stimulate curiosity (each child will have different things that stimulate them – while one might enjoy painting, another might like dressing up). Learn more about enabling environments.
• Observe and listen closely so you can follow the child’s lead
• Identify the item/place/person/idea that has sparked the child’s interest
• Use open-ended questions that require a description, rather than a yes or no answer – these usually start with what/how/why rather than do/is/can. (‘What do you like about that?’ rather than ‘Do you like that?’)
• Praise and reinforce positive learning experiences

Piaget was ahead of his time but really understood what was important at this stage. As parents we can implement this in our own interactions.

For play ideas look at How to Choose Activities for a Sensory Table for Toddlers

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