Play Today

A Guide for Families

Acknowledgements
The Ministry of Education wishes to thank Jane Bertrand of the Margaret and
Wallace McCain Family Foundation for all her guidance and expertise in writing
this resource.

Copyright © 2020 Province of BC

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Approaches to Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Free Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Inquiry Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Collaborative Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Playful Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Learning Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Introduction
C
hildren’s play experiences have a profound impact on all areas of their growth, learning,
and development. Play Today: A Guide for Families describes ideas and examples of quality play
experiences that can be offered to preschool and school-age children by their families and caregivers.

This guide puts a focus on play-based learning for children from age three to eight (approximately Grade 3).
It includes examples of a range of play experiences that benefit children’s learning. The examples include
opportunities for play that children lead, as well as those that adults may guide. It also explains how learning
happens and invites family members and caregivers to consider the value of play experiences for learning
at home and elsewhere.

Play and have fun with your child! Play is one of the best ways to support all learning and development
and it should continue to provide joy throughout everyone’s life.

Let’s play, today!

Play Today A Guide for Families 5

Play
Sometimes, children direct their own play without the participation of adults. Other times, adults notice
opportunities to join the play of children and extend their ideas, understanding, or skills. Adults may
guide children’s play while respecting their interests and skills. Sometimes, adults may set up specific play
experiences to achieve a learning goal. Children benefit and learn from many kinds of play.

Approaches to Play
This guide describes five approaches to play-based learning. The role of adults varies — from respectful
observer and helper to leaders and directors of the play. Children’s learning resulting from these experiences
also varies. Children benefit from all types of play experiences. At the same time, children often show strong
preferences for a specific play approach. The types of play described here are not in any order and are simply
a way of describing types of play experiences.

Types of Adult Approaches to Play

‹ Child-Directed Adult-Guided Adult-Directed ›

Free Play Inquiry Play Collaborative Play Playful Learning Learning Games

Help and support - Encourage and Take opportunities Support play Try specific
Provide time, space, support children’s to enter children’s play experiences that activities and
and things to explorations in play. and incorporate incorporate focused activities
play with. skill practice. specific skills. to use skills like
literacy and
numeracy.

Adapted from Pyle and Danniels, 20171

Play takes place in many places and spaces—at home, in preschools, child-care centres, at family centres,
in playgrounds, and in school classrooms. Children’s culture, community, and family life shape their play.
Play experiences may vary but when families value and champion play, children’s learning soars.

The Play Today: A Guide for Families is designed to help support families to value and expand the
opportunities for learning that play can offer.

1 Pyle, A., & Danniels, E.(2017). A continuum of play-based learning: The role of the teacher in play-based pedagogy
and the fear of hijacking play, Early Education and Development, 28(3), 274-289.

6 Play Today A Guide for Families

 Free Play
How learning happens during this approach: Free play is play that is initiated and directed by children. It is
the children who make decisions about what happens next and who does what.

When adults are asked to think about memories from childhood play, they often recall pretend play scenes
with toys, dolls, or stuffed animals. They may recall exploring a patch of brush outdoors with a friend in search
of wild animals, running as fast as possible, and collapsing in a heap, shrieking with delight. Other adults
recall running, jumping, and climbing outside with friends without adult direction.

Here are two examples of Free Play: Sand Play and Hide-and-Seek.

Sand Play
Marsha takes her two children, three-year-old and watches to see if water splashes out. Sasha
Marvin and five-year-old Sasha, to the park sits down beside Marvin and pours the water
where there is a large sandbox. The children each over a small area of sand. She quickly puts the
carry a shovel and pail. Marsha sits on a nearby wet sand back into the pail, patting the sand
bench as Marvin and Sasha rush to the sandbox, down firmly. She carefully tips the pail upside
with squeals of delight. down and gently taps on the sides and bottom of
the pail until the sand form slips out of the pail.
Sasha quickly fills her pail with dry sand, stands She repeats this five times until she has five sand
up, and pours the sand back into the sandbox. forms in a row.
She then runs to the water pump on the other
side of the sandbox and fills her pail with water, Marvin begins by digging a hole in the sand and
walks back to Marvin, carefully holds the pail shouts out to his mother, “Mommy, mommy, look!

Play Today A Guide for Families 7

 I am digging the biggest hole.”

Marsha smiles and says, “Wow, that is very big!”

Marsha watches as Sasha fills her pail with water

and carefully carries it back across the sandbox.
Marsha recalls that only six weeks ago, Sasha
would call out for help to carry the water since
it kept spilling out as she walked. She notes that
Sasha is now able to walk smoothly and carefully
so that the water stays in the pail.

Marvin looks over to Sasha’s forms in the sand.

He asks, “What’s that?” Sasha replies, “It’s going
to be a fort.” The fort she has planned is for two
small dolls she carries in her backpack. She then
points to a tree beside the sandbox. “You can help.
Get some leaves and stones from under the trees
over there.” Marvin scrambles out of the sandbox
and runs over to the trees to pick up a few leaves
and races back to give them to Sasha who says, Sasha says, “Good. Now dump them here,”
“Good, but we need lots more. We need a big pile.” pointing to a space beside the forms, “and go back
and get some rocks.”
Marvin turns around and starts to head back to
the tree, but then he stops and runs over to pick Marvin runs back to a patch of small rocks that
up his pail. He then heads to the tree and fills it are under the tree.
with leaves. He notices some twigs and puts those
in his pail too. Marvin returns to Sasha who is
stacking up the leaves in separate piles around
the sand forms.

Sasha and Marvin practice many skills in the sandbox at the park. Sasha is familiar with the possibilities of
sand and water from past play experiences. She immediately heads to the water source. She has a design in
mind for her fort and has a plan of how to build it.

When Marvin joins Sasha’s play, he shows he can co-operate with her play. He understands that Sasha’s
directions are part of the pretend play story about the fort.

Marsha sits quietly watching the children. She is ready to join if they call her over or answer questions, but she
does not initiate conversation. She is paying attention to what they can do. She notes how they are sharing the
idea of building a fort and for now, their ability to co-operate.

8 Play Today A Guide for Families

Hide-and-Seek
Several children from a grade 2/3 class are playing a game. It is January, and the skies are cloudy,
but only a bit of drizzle is coming down. Several children are playing a game of hide-and-seek in
the school playground. Cardboard boxes and large crawling tubes scatter the yard, offering various
places to hide. The rules for the hide-and-seek game evolved among the children over the past few
weeks. The hide-and-seek game is the current favourite of the children.

Often the children ask a teacher to join. Finding the teacher is a central part of the game. Once found,
the teacher must run and then be caught by chasing children. The teachers only join at the children’s
requests, and they follow the rules that the children have established.

Everyone does a lot of running, laughing, and yelling.

The teacher organizes time and space for outdoor play that is directed by the children. She knows that children
need enough time to invest in play experiences that they design and direct. If play is likely to be interrupted
in a few minutes, not much happens. These play opportunities can be used to observe and gather information
about children’s social and physical skills. Observations of children during these times provide valuable
information that enhances understanding of the children’s skills and abilities.

Children are learning to negotiate and cooperate with others as well as practicing physical skills such as
running, jumping, and dodging. Perhaps most importantly, this time for active play is essential for healthy
children. Improving these skills builds self-confidence and independence.

Play Today A Guide for Families 9

 Inquiry Play
How learning happens during this approach: Inquiry means exploring to find out information or new
understanding. Inquiry play starts with children’s explorations of things that interest or puzzle them. This kind
of exploring helps children to see connections between objects, ideas, meanings, and imaginings. More
questions lead to figuring out ideas and theories about how the world around them works.

Adults pay attention to what children notice and ask them questions about their ideas. They do not tell
children the answers. Instead, adults support children to think more deeply and to test their ideas. Inquiry
play nurtures scientific thinking—identifying a problem, developing a hypothesis (a theory), testing it, changing
it, and testing it again. Often, inquiry play involves representing ideas in drawings, print, or photographs.

Here are two examples of Inquiry Play: Gardening With Kids and The Big Building.

Gardening with Kids

Six-year-old twins, Michah and Gabby, are outside in their backyard with their Auntie Valerie who is
staying at their house for a few weeks. It is late spring and leaves are sprouting on trees. Tulips are
up and almost blooming in the garden.

It rained earlier in the day and both the ground and cement path are still wet. “Look, auntie!” shouts
Michah. “There are worms everywhere,” pointing to the path. “At school, we put worms into our big
pot of dirt when we planted bean seeds. Worms are good for growing green things.”

10 Play Today A Guide for Families

 Gabby suggests that they pick up the worms and put
them in the garden. Both girls race to gather up the
worms and place them in the soil.

Valerie asks, “Why do you think the worms will help

things grow in the garden?”

“Maybe they have magic powers,” suggests Michah.

“Or maybe they have special spit that comes out and
makes plants grow,” adds Gabby.

“I wonder how we could find out what worms do in

the dirt that helps the plants,” says Valerie.

Michah points out that there are worms everywhere and remembers an earlier experience with worms. She
makes the connection with previous learning—that worms were added to the pot with bean seeds at school.

Gabby builds on Micah’s knowledge and applies it to the immediate situation. Both girls come up with
theories about why the worms help plants grow.

Valerie asks questions to find out what the children are thinking—what their ideas are. Her response respects
their theories and opens possibilities to explore the question of how worms help plants.

Try this Activity!

The Gardening with Kids activity is in Let’s Play! Activities for Families. You can find this activity
in Set 3: Identities, Social Responsibility, and Diversity.

Let’s Play!
Activities for Families
Picture Book Scavenger Hunt
What
This is an interactive way of exploring reading and literacy while incorporating physical activity Use picture books
as the basis for a scavenger hunt

1 Create the Environment

• Pick a favorite picture book (preferably one with human characters and familiar locations) After you
read it through once or twice, ask your child if they would like to try and find things they see in the book!

2 Play Scavenger Hunt!

• With your child, identify the things that you see in the book and that you will hunt for (eg, dog, table,
car, tree) Then take your book outside or to a new room and try to find things from the real world that
match what is in the book

Why
Through this experience, children will

SET
• Make connections between reading materials and the real world
• Develop receptive (heard/read) and expressive (spoken/signed) language

3
• Identify printed language in different settings
• Make connections between ideas and objects
• Develop an awareness of printed language

Identities, • Enhance communication and literacy skills

Social Responsibility, How

You might start inside your house with toys or items that are familiar to your child Try choosing a board book

and Diversity
with one object on each page, then go find the object together Hold the object close to the picture and label
it twice For example, if you’re reading a book about children’s toys, and you see a teddy bear, go together
to find one and say “bear” while pointing at the picture, and then “bear” while pointing at the object

Try moving beyond looking for simple objects by looking for types or categories of
things For example, if you see an apple in the book, ask your child to find another fruit,
or another healthy food at home or the grocery store You could also look for colours
or shapes based on the images you see If you see squares in the book, ask your child
if they can find a square near you Try looking for numbers or letters as well

Let’s Play! Activities for Families | Set 2 33

Play Today A Guide for Families 11

The Big Building
A group of preschool children watch the construction
of a condo building next door. Children stand at the
fence and watch the parade of cement mixers, diggers,
front-end loaders, and cranes. Three-year-old Connor
plays exclusively with vehicles and sits down on a
tricycle and moves back and forth, making his usual
rumbling sound. Other children ride over on tricycles
and wagons and join Connor. Then several children
decide to bring over large building blocks, cardboard
tubes, large empty boxes, and hard hats from the
storage shed. The children eagerly begin to construct
a building they call “the big building.”

Several days later, the children’s construction area

includes structures made out of blocks, tubes, boxes,
picture, and word signs. They give directions for construction vehicles and warnings of danger and
give out pails and shovels for hauling sand around in the sandbox. From time to time, Yasmeen, an
Early Childhood Educator, joins the play. She asks lots of questions about how they manage to keep the
building from falling over and what the construction workers are doing.

One day, Yasmeen decides to extend the outside playtime. She brings out some large sheets of
paper and tapes them on a nearby table. Then, Yasmeen invites children to draw a picture of the
construction site. Four children come to the table, pick up the markers Yasmeen has placed on the
table and start to draw. Yasmeen encourages them to look over to the construction site and think
about details of the equipment and the large hole in the ground.

12 Play Today A Guide for Families

 The children ask more and more questions about the construction vehicles and about the many
tools the workers use. Four-year-old Emily wants to know how the water and electricity will be part
of the building. Yasmeen brings in several picture books about construction from the local library.
She tells the children that she does not know the answers, but she can help them find more information
in the book. Hassan suggests they use the Internet in the library to look up more information. Several
children are drawing pictures about building construction and asking how to spell words like
“condominium” and “excavator.” Yasmeen and the children now take pictures every morning and
document what progress they observe in a book they are making called “The Big Building.”

The following week, Yasmeen again sets up the nearby table with paper and markers and invites the
children to draw pictures. She notices that children are drawing pictures with much more detail in
their illustrations of the equipment and construction site. Yasmeen invites Connor over to the table by
offering to draw a front-end loader.

As the play outside continues to develop a narrative about construction workers and powerful
machines, Yasmeen suggests that they write a script together for a play. The children contribute
handwritten notes and drawings that are transferred to the computer. They work together to prepare
a play about building a very tall building with lots of playrooms, including one with a large bouncy castle.

Yasmeen responds to the children’s interests and ideas. She asks questions to figure out what they are thinking.
She asks questions to provoke their curiosity to explore and understand more about the construction site and
encourages them to represent their ideas in pictures and in a dramatic play. She joins in with children’s
explorations about water and electricity.
Children learn about problem solving, planning, and how to use resources to find out how things work. They
learn new vocabulary and ways to represent ideas with words and illustrations.

Play Today A Guide for Families 13

 Collaborative Play
How learning happens during this approach: Collaborative play happens when children are directing
their own play (free play) and adults see an opportunity to enter the children’s play to extend a learning
opportunity. Adults do not take over the play or redirect it (except for safety reasons). Adults may offer
instructions about a specific skill — such as how to hold the paper to cut out a circle, or they may introduce
specific resources such as books.

Here are two examples of Collaborative Play: Picture Book Scavenger Hunt and The Crane.

Picture Book Scavenger Hunt

Alex reads a book about how machines work with his six-year-old son Manuel. Manuel chose the book
from the school library to bring home. The book details illustrations and descriptions about machines
that are common in many homes including blenders, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, computers,
cellphones, and hair dryers.

Manuel asks a lot of questions about why some machines need to be plugged in while others work
without plugs. Alex suggests that they have a search for these machines in their home to see which
ones have electrical cords and plugs and which ones do not. As Manuel finds each one, he turns it on
and off.

Manuel points out, “Cellphones don’t need to be plugged into the wall. They get electricity from the
charger—the electricity is inside the charger.”

“Hmm…,” responds Alex. “Here is my cellphone and it is not charged now. Let’s use the charger but
not plug it into the wall and see what happens.”

14 Play Today A Guide for Families

 Manuel eagerly plugs in the charger to his Dad’s cellphone. They go back to finding other machines
from the book, and they make a list of machines they have and ones they do not have, such as an
ice maker.

An hour later, they finish the book and find that they own 16 machines that are in the book but do
not own the other 12 listed. Alex suggests that they check his cellphone.

Manuel looks puzzled and says, “Dad, your phone is still dead and not charged.”

Alex replies, “OK, now let’s plug the other end of the charger into the electrical outlet.” Almost
immediately, the cellphone lights up and the charging symbol shows on the screen. He explains
how electricity travels into their house, through the wires that are in the walls. He explains how the
charger works to take in the electricity and uses it to recharge the phone but that the charger does
not have its own source of electricity.

Manuel makes connections between reading materials and the world he lives in. He uses books to find out
how things work. He also reinforces his understanding of print. He combines his understanding of the attributes
of different objects and how they can be categorized. He thinks about problems and predicts solutions.

Alex joins the play experience with Manuel by reading the book Manuel chose. He uses what is sometimes
called a “teachable moment” to bridge Manuel’s partial understanding of electricity to how cellphone
chargers work with electricity.

Playful learning includes play experiences that are planned by adults with specific learning goals in mind.
Children engage in the play and can have an active role in how the play unfolds within the structure adults
have set up.

Try this Activity!

The Picture Book Scavenger Hunt activity is in Let’s Play! Activities for Families. You can find
this activity in Set 2: Communications and Literacies

Let’s Play!
Activities for Families
Picture Book Scavenger Hunt
What
This is an interactive way of exploring reading and literacy while incorporating physical activity Use picture books
as the basis for a scavenger hunt

1 Create the Environment

• Pick a favorite picture book (preferably one with human characters and familiar locations) After you
read it through once or twice, ask your child if they would like to try and find things they see in the book!

2 Play Scavenger Hunt!

• With your child, identify the things that you see in the book and that you will hunt for (eg, dog, table,
car, tree) Then take your book outside or to a new room and try to find things from the real world that
match what is in the book

Why
Through this experience, children will

SET
• Make connections between reading materials and the real world
• Develop receptive (heard/read) and expressive (spoken/signed) language

2
• Identify printed language in different settings
• Make connections between ideas and objects
• Develop an awareness of printed language
• Enhance communication and literacy skills

How
You might start inside your house with toys or items that are familiar to your child Try choosing a board book
with one object on each page, then go find the object together Hold the object close to the picture and label
it twice For example, if you’re reading a book about children’s toys, and you see a teddy bear, go together

Communication and Literacies

to find one and say “bear” while pointing at the picture, and then “bear” while pointing at the object

Try moving beyond looking for simple objects by looking for types or categories of
things For example, if you see an apple in the book, ask your child to find another fruit,
or another healthy food at home or the grocery store You could also look for colours
or shapes based on the images you see If you see squares in the book, ask your child
if they can find a square near you Try looking for numbers or letters as well

Let’s Play! Activities for Families | Set 2 33

Play Today A Guide for Families 15

The Crane
Michaela, an educator in a StrongStart BC program,
notices that three-year-old Ivan and Lindsey are
deeply engaged with the unit blocks and Lego in the
construction play area. Ivan lines up several unit
blocks on the floor. He places a tall stack of Lego
blocks on one end of the blocks, and it falls over. After
observing for several minutes, Michaela decides to
find out Ivan and Lindsey’s understanding about
why the blocks fall down, and what they are trying
to do.

Michaela asks, “What are you trying to do, Ivan?”

Ivan responds, “We are making a really big crane.”
Lindsey adds, “It is going to pick up the concrete for the tower.” Ivan turns to Michaela and asks, “Can
you help us get the crane to stay standing up?” Michaela responds, “Of course. Which way do you want
the crane to face?”

Ivan says, “It has to face the concrete” as he points to a pile of small rocks beside the wooden blocks.
Michaela places the tower on a block in front of the rocks. It falls over.

Michaela asks, “Why do you think it keeps falling over?” Ivan says, “Because it doesn’t stick to the
block.” Michaela responds, “So, how could we get it to stick?” Lindsey shouts out, “We need to glue it.”

16 Play Today A Guide for Families

 Michaela says, “That is a very good idea. But then it would always be stuck on the block. How would
the block fit back in the shelf?”

Ivan suggests, “Let’s use tape. When we are finished, we can take the tape off.” Michaela answers,
“You thought of a good way to solve that problem. Let’s find the tape.”

Michaela uses play materials that can be transformed by the children. She enters the children’s play to extend
their ideas, thereby extending the learning opportunity. She builds on the children’s intentions but does not take
over the play. She provokes them to think about their problem and possible solutions. She supports their
understanding of themselves as learners by asking them to figure out how to keep the crane standing.

Play Today A Guide for Families 17

 Playful Learning
How learning happens during this approach: Playful learning includes play experiences that are planned by
adults with specific learning goals in mind. Children engage in the play and can have an active role in how the
play unfolds within the structure adults have set up.

Here are two examples of Playful Learning: Discovery Toy Basket and Pumpkin Cake.

Discovery Toy Basket

Mary Jean sets up a “discovery toy basket” for her four-year-old daughter, Ellie. She plans to
introduce it after nap time. Mary Jean places several found objects—keys, rocks, a large pine cone,
spoons, and a sponge—into a basket. The objects are from around their home and Ellie is familiar
with them. Mary Jean covers the basket with a small blanket.

Once Ellie is awake and ready to play after her nap, Mary Jean sits beside her and brings out
the basket.

Mary Jean asks Ellie, “Can you put your hands under the blanket and tell me what you feel without
taking the blanket off?”

Ellie is interested and curious and puts one hand in slowly. She grasps a sponge and says,
“This is squishy.”

Mary Jean asks, “What do you think it is?”

18 Play Today A Guide for Families

 Ellie answers, “Is it my facecloth?” Mary Jean suggests she feel it again.

Ellie puts in both hands and feels around the sponge then squeals, “I know, I know— this is what
we wash dishes with!”

Mary Jean smiles and says “Yes, it is—what do we call it?”

Ellie pulls it out from under the blanket and looks puzzled. She turns to Mary Jean and says,
“I don’t know what it is called.”

Mary Jean replies, “It is a sponge.”

Mary Jean does the same thing with the other objects in the basket and then givers Ellie time to
explore the items on her own.

The discovery toy basket offers opportunities for exploring the characteristics of various objects. It invites
conversations about what objects are used for and encourages the use of new vocabulary.

Try this Activity!

The Discovery Toy Basket activity is in Let’s Play! Activities for Families. You can find this
activity in Set 1: Engagement with Others, Materials and the World

Let’s Play!
Activities for Families
Picture Book Scavenger Hunt
What
This is an interactive way of exploring reading and literacy while incorporating physical activity Use picture books
as the basis for a scavenger hunt

1 Create the Environment

• Pick a favorite picture book (preferably one with human characters and familiar locations) After you
read it through once or twice, ask your child if they would like to try and find things they see in the book!

2 Play Scavenger Hunt!

• With your child, identify the things that you see in the book and that you will hunt for (eg, dog, table,
car, tree) Then take your book outside or to a new room and try to find things from the real world that
match what is in the book

Why
Through this experience, children will

SET
• Make connections between reading materials and the real world
• Develop receptive (heard/read) and expressive (spoken/signed) language

1
• Identify printed language in different settings
• Make connections between ideas and objects
• Develop an awareness of printed language
• Enhance communication and literacy skills

Engagement with How

Others, Materials, You might start inside your house with toys or items that are familiar to your child Try choosing a board book
with one object on each page, then go find the object together Hold the object close to the picture and label
it twice For example, if you’re reading a book about children’s toys, and you see a teddy bear, go together

and the World to find one and say “bear” while pointing at the picture, and then “bear” while pointing at the object

Try moving beyond looking for simple objects by looking for types or categories of
things For example, if you see an apple in the book, ask your child to find another fruit,
or another healthy food at home or the grocery store You could also look for colours
or shapes based on the images you see If you see squares in the book, ask your child
if they can find a square near you Try looking for numbers or letters as well

Let’s Play! Activities for Families | Set 2 33

Play Today A Guide for Families 19

Pumpkin Cake
A group of five children in an after-school program
located in an elementary school gather around a table
in the school kitchen. William, the educator who
facilitates the program, tapes a large sheet of paper
ke
n Ca
with a recipe for pumpkin cake on the wall behind
p ki
the table. It is autumn, and the children were
Pum Sugar
recently at a local market that had a large selection 2 1/
2
r
of pumpkins. Wate
3/4
Together the children and William read through the
recipe. Six-year-old Sophie slowly sounds out the
word “sugar” and says, “I know where the sugar is.
I will get it.”

William asks, “How much sugar will we need?”

Seven-year-old Thomas replies, “2 ½ cups—that’s what the recipe says,” pointing to the recipe on the
wall.

“Right.” says William. “Thomas, we have a ½ cup measuring cup here. Can we use that to measure out
2 1/2 cups of sugar?”

Thomas replies, “We need to add three of those to the bowl.”

William pulls out a 1 cup measuring cup and asks Thomas again. Sophie says, “I think two of the small
cups will fill the big cup.”

20 Play Today A Guide for Families

 Slowly, William guides the children through the
measurement of all the ingredients, emphasizing
that ½ + ½ equals 1. After the pumpkin cake is in
the oven, the children review the recipe chart.

William asks them to make their own recipe card

for pumpkin cake. He encourages them to make
drawings of each of the ingredients to show how
much is needed for the recipe.

William sets up the play experience with specific learning goals in mind. He introduces measurement concepts
to the children. He uses visual cues and vocabulary to introduce and practice measurement concepts. The
written recipe with visual symbols reinforces children’s understanding that print carries meaning. William sets
up the materials for the play experience in a way that invites children to focus.

The children are active participants. They decide how to stir the ingredients together and may suggest some
additions. They make up their own drawings for recipe cards—some will insert numbers and others will try to
show ½ cups or 2 cups to represent amounts.

Play Today A Guide for Families 21

 Learning Games
How learning happens during this approach: Learning games, which include instructions, are adult-directed
types of play. Sometimes, the instruction comes in the form of rules that guide how a game is played or through
structured materials used in a specific manner, such as a puzzle.

Learning games are helpful to introduce and practice concepts related to reading or mathematics. They are
also useful for social-emotional learning and basic physical movement skills. When children play games
together, they practice social skills such as taking turns. Games can also encourage children’s attention and
focus on something that is challenging.
Here are two examples of Learning Games: Yoga Poses and Number Line Game.

Yoga Poses
Leona is the mother of three-year-old Lauren. Leona is introducing time for yoga poses
Leona began to take yoga classes a year ago with Lauren at the end of the day when they
at the local community centre. She finds that get home. They begin by bringing out their
she is now better able to manage the demands yoga mats in the living room, turning down
of work and family. She also finds that when the lights, and turning off radios, televisions,
she is stressed, she becomes calmer— and i-Pads, and cellphones. Leona asks Lauren to
more effective in dealing with home or sit quietly and take a few deep breaths.
workplace stresses—by taking a yoga break
Leona speaks slowly and quietly. “Close your
and doing a few poses.
eyes. Slowly breathe through your nose.” She

22 Play Today A Guide for Families

 pauses and then continues, “Feel your Leona helps Lauren to do the Child’s Pose
body get ready for yoga. Slowly open by guiding her to lower her forehead to the
your eyes.” Sometimes, she asks Lauren, ground an extend her arms out in front.
“How do you feel inside? How does your
Leona watches Lauren as she does the pose
body feel? Are you feeling tired or are
and comes back to a sitting position. After
you feeling awake?”
completing two more poses—Downward Dog
Now Leona is ready to do a few poses Pose and Tree Pose—Leona asks Lauren to
with Lauren. She begins with the child’s take a few more deep breaths and asks, “How
pose. She says, “Let’s do the child’s does your body feel now? I feel calmer than
pose.” when I first came home.”

Leona directs the play activity. She sets up the environment by making a few minutes of yoga with Lauren
a routine after she arrives home. She organizes the living room so that it is easy to stretch out in an open
space. The yoga time is structured with specific goals related to develop positive coping skills and manage
emotions and stress. She introduces poses based on Lauren’s emerging skills. She is attentive to Lauren’s
progress with the poses and asks questions that draws her attention to how her body feels.

Learning games are play opportunities that often challenge children to stretch their thinking, number
and language, social-emotional, and physical skills. Adults can structure the games so that challenges
are manageable and not beyond what a child knows or can do with assistance.

Try this Activity!

The Yoga Poses activity is in Let’s Play! Activities for Families. You can find this activity in
Set 4: Well-Being and Belonging

Let’s Play!
Activities for Families
Picture Book Scavenger Hunt
What
This is an interactive way of exploring reading and literacy while incorporating physical activity Use picture books
as the basis for a scavenger hunt

1 Create the Environment

• Pick a favorite picture book (preferably one with human characters and familiar locations) After you
read it through once or twice, ask your child if they would like to try and find things they see in the book!

2 Play Scavenger Hunt!

• With your child, identify the things that you see in the book and that you will hunt for (eg, dog, table,
car, tree) Then take your book outside or to a new room and try to find things from the real world that
match what is in the book

Why
Through this experience, children will

• Make connections between reading materials and the real world

SET • Develop receptive (heard/read) and expressive (spoken/signed) language

• Identify printed language in different settings

4
• Make connections between ideas and objects
• Develop an awareness of printed language
• Enhance communication and literacy skills

How
You might start inside your house with toys or items that are familiar to your child Try choosing a board book
with one object on each page, then go find the object together Hold the object close to the picture and label

Well-Being and Belonging

it twice For example, if you’re reading a book about children’s toys, and you see a teddy bear, go together
to find one and say “bear” while pointing at the picture, and then “bear” while pointing at the object

Try moving beyond looking for simple objects by looking for types or categories of
things For example, if you see an apple in the book, ask your child to find another fruit,
or another healthy food at home or the grocery store You could also look for colours
or shapes based on the images you see If you see squares in the book, ask your child
if they can find a square near you Try looking for numbers or letters as well

Let’s Play! Activities for Families | Set 2 33

Play Today A Guide for Families 23

Number Line Game
Four-year-old Idris enters his preschool with Idris sits down and tosses the dice. It comes
his auntie. He immediately runs to the table up with two circles. Idris places two acorns
with a new game set up. He yells out, “Auntie, on the number one and number two squares
auntie–look, this one is using the acorns I on his number line. Then he tosses the dice
brought yesterday.” again, and it has three circles.

On the table is a number line game set up He places three acorns along the next three
for three players. Each player has several squares on the number line. Emmanuel
acorns. The children take turns tossing a observes and asks, “So what number are you
large dice and then placing that number of up to now?” Idris smiles and starts at the first
acorns on one of the number lines that are square counting up to five where the acorn is
numbered squares from one to ten. When placed. Emmanuel takes note of Idris’ number
children can do this, Emmanuel, the educator, understanding as he watches, smiling, and
will add more acorns and extend the game nodding.
with longer number lines.

Emmanuel prepared a game with specific rules. The rules are based on specific learning objectives. The
game is designed to instruct children about mathematial concepts related to counting and simple
computation. Idris is learning to identify and compare numbers as well as counting and simple addition.

The game can be adapted to fit with children’s individual understanding. Emmanuel assesses what Idris
understands about numbers and basic counting and can adapt the complexity of the game.

The children are active participants in the game. They are guided by the rules, and the rules can be adjusted to
what a child understands. The goal is to offer a challenge that is within a child’s reach to meet.

24 Play Today A Guide for Families

Conclusion
Children’s experiences differ across cultures and communities so their play may look different in various
settings, but its power to delight and captivate children’s hearts and minds is universal.

Play encourages children to be curious, creative, and engaged lifelong learners. It provides children with
motivation to explore, come up with ideas, connect with others, and imagine new possibilities. Play can be
challenging, joyful, intense, and exciting. Play can also be relaxing, calm and soothing. Play is a platform for
learning from birth into adulthood. It is a vehicle for inspiring learning.

This guide is based on the Play Today: B.C. Handbook and draws on activities in Let’s Play: Activities for
Families. In these early learning resources, the benefits of play experiences are highlighted so that adults are
assured that play experiences are valuable to children for their learning and development.

Play Today A Guide for Families 25

Resources
BC Ministry of Education. (2019). Play Today: B.C. Handbook. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/
assets/gov/education/early-learning/teach/earlylearning/play-today-handbook.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2019). Let’s Play! Activities for Families. Set 1 Focusing on engagement with others,
materials and the world. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/early-
learning/teach/earlylearning/lets-play-engagement.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2019). Let’s Play! Activities for Families. Set 2. Focusing on Communications and
Literacies. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/early-learning/teach/
earlylearning/lets-play-communication.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2019). Let’s Play! Activities for Families. Set 3 Focusing on Identities, Social
Responsibility, and Diversity. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/early-
learning/teach/earlylearning/lets-play-identities.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2019). Let’s Play! Activities for Families. Set 4 Focusing on Well-Being and
Belonging. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/early-learning/teach/
earlylearning/lets-play-well-being.pdf

References
McCain, M., Mustard, F., & McCuaig, K. (2011). Early years study 3. Toronto, ON: Atkinson Centre, OISE

Pyle, A., & Danniels, E.(2017). A continuum of play-based learning: The role of the teacher in play-based
pedagogy and the fear of hijacking play, Early Education and Development, 28(3), 274-28

26 Play Today A Guide for Families