6 Reasons Why Play-Based Learning Is The Most Effective Way For Fall In Love With Learning

Child development is a simple, yet complicated process. A toddler’s brain is growing at such a pace that they grasp any and everything around them. For decades, the older generations that of our grandparents’, has always strongly advocated for children to play as freely as possible. They used to put it in a vague term as "that’s where the learning happens." The last decade of research into child development seems to tell us the same thing.

Recent scientific and social studies on education theory in toddlers reveal that the most effective way for anyone to learn anything is to make them learn it in a way that is most interesting to them. For toddlers, the most interesting or even natural way is that of playing. You leave a child alone and almost always; you will see them tampering with objects making it clear that playing is naturally motivated.

Play-based learning involves learning from both sides – the child’s side initiated by them and from the teacher’s side in terms of support. The foundation of play-based learning is based on the concept of building on the children's’ natural motivation of playing, by integrating lessons into various games and activities. Educational reading games and interactive learning for kids is the key to developing children academically.

At the age of toddlers, a kid’s education has to be looked at as a holistic childhood development process. We cannot separate different kinds of learnings from each other – that is looking at academic learning, social learning, emotional learning, etc. as different compartments. All of these are integrated together and to be learned together as well – one helping the other. The aim is to practice such toddler learning games that develops all parts of their brain and body – linguistic, social, physical, intellectual, creative etc.

As one of the top preschools in Ahmedabad, Little Wings is committed to adopting the most effective to ensure a wholesome child development. Over the years, our research and practice have led us to believe that play-based learning is completely in line with our goal of holistic childhood development.

Our learning programs for kids at our daycare in Ahmedabad focuses on free play and guided play. These are two types of play-based learning, the first where a child is encouraged to play freely in a supervised environment with no involvement of a teacher. This encourages the child to be independent and self-reliant. Guided play is also where the child takes lead along with the teacher acting as a fellow player in the game – therefore functioning like a peer rather than an authority figure. This makes them more open to the questions the teacher might be asking.

These two ways of play-based learning are carefully balanced in our educational learning games. When compared to instruction-based learning, play learning has many more benefits, here is how:

Strong motivation

We have all been students at some point and it is safe to assume that most of us only truly gained knowledge and learned something worthwhile when we were motivated to do so – the motivation could be anything, success, knowledge, fame, etc. However, for children as young as that to develop the right values, it is important for them to be motivated for the right reasons. At that age, a thirst for learning should be cultivated the most as that goes a long way in life.

Effectiveness in primary schooling

Primary schooling in an instruction-based educational program is centered around the teacher as the teacher passes on knowledge about various topics or teaching concepts. While complex and layered concepts might require direct and instruction-based teaching, concepts taught in primary school are pretty straightforward to teach and hence can be taught through indirect and more application-based methods. Research also confirms that play-based learning is more effective at this stage. The outcome of what the students learn through play-based learning is more than instruction-based.

For this very reason, our daycare center in Ahmedabad, aiming to smoothen the transition to primary school adopts this play-based learning program for the kids.

Instruction-based teaching has negative effects

As written above, play-based learning is largely more effective than instruction-based learning. However, more than that, research has revealed that instruction-based learning has a negative effect on toddlers as it increases stress levels of children, decreases their motivation to learn and even has links to behavioral problems. Most of this happens because, at such a young age, children’s minds are still learning how to focus without actively participating. It is difficult for them to be passive while focusing and hence, this leads to them developing a negative attitude towards learning, becoming counter-productive in the long run.

Sparks curiosity and excitement to explore

Rather than being passive, children at that age are often hyper or at the very least extremely active. Play-based learning involves the children by getting them to participate in educational games. Done the right way, guided play learning can encourage children to be curious, ask questions, find out answers themselves and even get excited about knowing something or finding answers. This leads the child to develop an inquisitive mindset and ask scientific questions. It also helps build their logic, analysis, and other cognitive abilities making them rise to a higher level of thinking.

Develop a positive attitude towards learning

If you have ever read stories to your child or asking them questions about the most mundane of things, your child’s answers or description might often leave you surprised. Children at such a young age have a mind that is not tightly bound by logic and hard facts – they tend to get creative and develop imagination. Play-based learning supports that imagination and teaches children to push it further to create something, ultimately helping them hone their creativity through enthusiasm and persistence.

Social and emotional development

Play-based learning involves maximum participation by the child as it requires them to take on the lead role. In guided play, teachers are co-participants who, by asking questions, and playing the role of a teammate help the child develop vital social and emotional skills like coordination, communication, cooperation, sharing, negotiating, debating, etc. These toddler learning games function as a stepping stone for them into future real-world interactions where they will always be required to work and be with other people. Rather than telling them, how to share, how to be a teammate, how to communicate – these children learn all of these skills in a way that makes them natural and not something they had to do.

We are the pioneers of holistic learning in Ahmedabad with a high-end learning environment and experienced set of skilled teachers. We drive towards excellence through honesty, contentment and transparency. We teach children to grow up with purpose.