Think about what an average kindergartener may do in a day. They play, explore, create, ask questions and discover the world around them. What if we could all adopt that mindset in our lives daily? What if we could all take on a mindset or curiosity and discovery?
As we get older, we play less and less. We go through phases of thinking we are "too cool" to play and then phases of wishing we could play again as we face the standard 8 hour workday as adults. But how can we encourage students and people past the kindergarten level to continue to play as a method of discovery without the fear of failure or difficulty? It is also important to think about fostering this curiosity in the students in the classroom that are older than kindergarten but still need creative development and open-mindedness. Resnick says, "knowledge alone is not enough: they [children] must learn how to use their knowledge creatively (Resnick (2017), p 50)." This means that we must foster creativity in our students and to do that, we need to foster that creativity in ourselves.
I am a big proponent of play in the classroom, but often time limits the amount of creative play I can give my students. I realized that when my students play, they learn new things in a new context, which is important for students who learn in different ways. I like giving digital and analog creative play time in my classroom. During digital playtime, students are given a list of choices that are not usually the academic digital resources we use. Some of these include hourofcode.com, Google Earth, Google Slides (for creative writing/collaboration), etc. This gives them the opportunity to choose what they want to explore or investigate. It taps into their curiosity and gives them creative control. It also gives space for the students to become the "expert" on a certain area that they can teach a peer or continue diving deeper into. For analog play time, I encourage students to use manipulatives from around the room to create anything they want. I leave out math maipulative such as tangrams, tile pieces, Brain Flakes, linking cubes, etc. I also leave out paper, cardboard, markers, pencils and other art supplies that they can use. I give the students the option to work in a group or independently. They have developed so many great creations during these times. They are on task, focused, collaborative and hard-working. They are planning and being creative. I have seen so much ownership, confidence and pride with this as well. This activity motivated them and allowed them to learn in a context they were not used to. We know from How People Learn, that motivation creates confident learners who are more devoted to their own learning.
Not only did these experiences teach the students and allow them to grow, but it allowed them to be kids and have fun. It implemented that "lifelong kindergarten" mindset that is so important in creating independent and creative thinkers. It gave the kids opportunities to explore, create and play in a low-risk situation.
Resnick says, "Instead of making kindergarten more like the rest of school, we need to make the rest of school, indeed- the rest of life- more like kindergarten (p 52)." As educators and humans, it is important we keep this in mind while we. teach. In the face of testing, deadlines, data and timelines, it can be overwhelming and challenging to find time for kids to play. However, if we do not let them explore, play, ask questions, push their thinking and discover, we may be harming their creative thinking and hurting their ability to use creative thinking in the future. In a fast-paced world, sometimes we have to think about what would a kindergartener be doing right now? How can I take a few minutes out of my day, week or month to play and discover something new?
These are creations made in my classroom during an analog play time. All the way left is a model of a football stadium, the middle is a flower picture made by a collage of foam circles and the right is a robot made from Brain Flakes.
More Resources on Incorporating Play into the Classroom:
Sources used in this article:
Resnick, M., & Robinson, K. (2017). Lifelong kindergarten: Cultivating creativity through projects, passion, peers, and play.
National Research Council. 2000. "Learning and Transfer" Chapter 3 of How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853.
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