Concluding thoughts

A key concept framing this interactive book was that play-based learning supports children’s development and learning holistically, providing benefits in the classroom and beyond (Robertson, Morrisey & Rouse 2018). We shared the considerable evidence and research that outlines how play has a critical place in the education of children (Stagnitti, Paatsch, Nolan & Campbell, 2020). The editors and authors recognise the existing expertise that our audience of educators possess, and we hope to have built on the valuable knowledge you already have as a teacher. For some of you it will have confirmed your classroom pedagogy and for others it may have added more depth to your knowledge base in play-based teaching. The design was therefore shaped to allow for both introductory needs and to extend your current understanding of best practice resources to support play-based learning.

Learnings throughout

The book began by unpacking the concepts of play-based learning. It outlined how during play provides children with opportunities to use their imagination to explore, experiment, discover, collaborate, improvise and create. Relevant theories and practice examples were connected to grounding concepts of play-based approaches. This enabled us to outline the clear and wide-ranging benefits of play-based approaches for children’s learning, development, social, and emotional capabilities.

Another core concept throughout this textbook has been recognising the critical role of educators in successful play-based learning contexts. As the book reiterates play-based teaching approaches can be embedded in a wide range of classrooms. Play-based approaches are contextually developed and combine different pedagogical strengths and enhance the learning, contexts and children in an environment.

We hope that this book gives you some clear examples and visual practical illustrations of different types of play. We aimed to support your observation of children’s play and for you to identify the learning that was occurring in these contexts. We then focused more closely on identifying the learning to making connections with curricular outcomes.

You play a key role

No doubt the central message in this book is that the educator’s role in supporting children’s experience of play is key. You’re shaping and provision of personal and social learning environments facilitates young children’s learning capabilities, dispositions and processes on their life- long learning narrative.

Keep in mind

We have some key take-aways and messages from Play-based learning: Assessing learning through play to share with you. Professor Andrea Nolan, part of the editorial team and one of our contributing authors, has brought her extensive understanding of play-based learning and the material covered in this book together into a final thought. Play the below podcast (1:48) to hear.