Sumita Gupta, IB PYP Educator and IBEN Programme Leader in Mumbai, Maharashtra, explains how play is central to early childhood learning. When intentional and well-designed, play is a strong path for children’s growth and development. Through meaningful play, children build confidence, resilience, and critical thinking. Play bridges classroom learning with the real world.
In my eight years of teaching in an IB school, play has always been a key part of my teaching approach. I am passionate about fostering a culture of continuous learning and creating environments where children thrive.
Why is play important in early childhood education
Experts in early childhood education agree that play is not just a break from learning. Rather, it forms the very foundation of how young children grow, explore, and develop an understanding of the world around them. Just as adults pursue purposeful goals in their daily lives, such as going to work, learning new skills, and growing both personally and professionally, children, too, have a natural and meaningful purpose: to play. Through play, children actively engage with their surroundings, test ideas, and begin to make sense of their experiences.
Maria Montessori believed children have an innate desire to learn. In a supportive, well-designed environment, their natural curiosity drives them to explore and construct meaning. Play serves as a strong medium for developing lifelong skills. In classrooms, purposeful play builds confidence, improves problem-solving, and deepens understanding through hands-on experiences.
Educators face the challenge of designing learning environments that make play meaningful. By adopting strategies that incorporate purposeful play, teachers open opportunities for children to explore, inquire, and grow as confident learners.
Why Purposeful Play Matters
Purposeful play builds foundational skills across all developmental domains: cognitive, social-emotional, physical, language, and literacy. It is developmentally appropriate, meeting children where they are and respecting their age, needs, and cultural context. Purposeful play aligns with curriculum goals, helping children practice early literacy, numeracy, and scientific thinking in meaningful ways. Through play, children develop 21st-century skills like creativity, collaboration, and adaptability.
Research by theorists and educators, including Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, and Trawick-Smith, highlights play’s role in supporting holistic development and preparing children to become capable, confident lifelong learners.
In practice, purposeful play often takes the form of child-led exploration, where children follow their curiosity, ask questions, and investigate ideas that are meaningful to them. It is visible when learning connects to real-world contexts, allowing children to relate classroom experiences to situations they recognise and care about. Collaborative play also plays a vital role, as children work alongside one another, exchange ideas, and develop important social skills such as empathy, communication, and cooperation. Creativity and imagination flourish in such environments, as children invent, design, experiment, and try new approaches. Equally important is the process of reflection and meaning-making. When children are given opportunities to talk about their experiences, revisit their ideas, and share their thinking, they deepen their understanding and develop stronger conceptual connections.
Purposeful play is intentional and thoughtfully planned. Through such experiences, skills in math, literacy, and science develop naturally. Purposeful play also supports differentiation. Children engage at different levels based on readiness and ability. Emerging learners explore concepts with guidance. Developing learners gain greater independence. Advanced learners tackle challenges and apply learning in new ways. Teachers design learning experiences, scaffold thinking, and pose questions to extend inquiry. This fosters meaningful participation and growth for all children.
Connecting Play to the Real World
Purposeful play becomes powerful and authentic when it reflects real-life situations that children can identify. A favourite classroom example of differentiation emerged after a field trip to a local market. The children were fascinated by the different fruits and vegetables they had seen, touched, and smelled. To extend this experience, I invited them to recreate a pretend market in the classroom. Some children chose to become farmers, others to become sellers, while a few chose to become customers. As the play unfolded, I supported their thinking by asking open-ended questions, such as, “What are you selling at the market today?” How will you tell customers about the items you have? What signs or labels could you make to help your customers find things? These questions encouraged children to think more deeply about their roles and interactions. Differentiation naturally emerged within the activity. Emerging learners named and labelled items using picture cards. Developing learners created simple signs or price tags using invented spellings and by tracing words, strengthening their early reading and writing skills. Advancing learners extended their thinking further by writing simple shopping lists and engaging in conversations using complete sentences while role-playing as sellers and customers.
Scientific thinking also grows through play. Children wondered where various fruits and vegetables came from, spurring inquiry into which grow underground or on trees. They explored these questions with books, videos, and discussions. Emerging learners examined textures and smells. Developing learners sorted fruits and vegetables by how they grow. Advanced learners conducted simple investigations, testing what happens when food sits in sunlight and making predictions. Through these tasks, children practised predicting, testing, observing, and recording results.
Another example of purposeful play is when children work together to build a city with blocks. Each child takes on a role within the collaborative task as they plan, negotiate, share resources, and solve problems together. Emerging learners may begin by naming and labelling different elements of the city. Developing learners may describe their structures through simple sentences. Advancing learners can extend their thinking by creating maps or guidebooks that explain different parts of the city. Children can naturally integrate mathematical and scientific thinking into such play experiences. Emerging learners count the blocks they use, while developing learners compare the heights of buildings or explore patterns in their constructions. Advancing learners may measure structures and consider ideas such as sustainable city design. Through these experiences, children develop not only conceptual understanding but also collaboration, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
Creativity is another path for purposeful play. In one project, children created a puppet show, designing puppets and inventing stories. Guiding questions like “What happened first? Would you change the ending?” helped them structure narratives and expand their imagination. Math appeared as they counted and organised puppets; science arose as they tested materials for strength, sound, and shadow. Performing builds confidence and self-expression.
Reflection is key to meaningful play. After the puppet show, children discussed questions such as: ‘What was your favourite part?’ What would you do differently next time? Such reflection helps connect experiences to broader ideas and builds early metacognitive skills.
Setting Up Invitations to Play
One effective way to nurture purposeful play is by designing invitations to play within the learning environment. In early childhood education, the environment is often described as the third teacher because of its powerful role in shaping children’s learning experiences. When thoughtfully designed, the learning environment invites children to explore, collaborate, and engage in meaningful inquiry. Carefully curated materials and open-ended provocations encourage children to investigate ideas, solve problems, and construct their own understanding of the world.
The classroom materials available play a significant role in sparking children’s curiosity and supporting purposeful play. Thoughtfully chosen resources invite children to explore, experiment, and construct their own understanding through hands-on experiences. Teachers can create rich opportunities for inquiry by providing open-ended materials that allow children to use their imagination and investigate ideas in multiple ways. Resources such as wooden blocks, LEGO, magnetic tiles, and loose parts encourage children to build, design, and problem-solve collaboratively. Sensory materials, including sand, water tables, rice bins, and textured objects, invite children to explore through touch and observation, deepening their engagement with the environment. Creative materials such as crayons, paints, markers, and a variety of art supplies allow children to express their ideas, represent their thinking, and develop early communication skills. Exploration tools like magnifying glasses and binoculars encourage close observation and scientific inquiry, helping children investigate the world around them. Role-play materials also foster imaginative thinking. Simple resources such as scarves, hats, empty boxes, fabric pieces, and everyday objects can quickly transform the classroom into meaningful learning spaces, such as a market, a home, a construction site, or even a storytelling stage.
When children are provided with such open-ended resources, they naturally become curious investigators. They experiment with materials, ask questions, test ideas, and extend their play in unexpected ways.
Observing Children to Support Learning
In play-based classrooms, teachers learn a great deal by carefully observing children as they play. When teachers watch and listen to children’s conversations, actions, and choices, they begin to understand what the children are thinking, what interests them, and what they are trying to learn. Teachers can record these observations through notes, photos, drawings, or short learning stories. This documentation helps teachers see how children’s learning is developing and how they can further extend it. It also helps teachers notice if any child is having difficulty and consider ways to support them.
In this process, teachers become partners in children’s learning. Instead of giving all the answers, they guide children by asking simple open-ended questions such as:
What do you think will happen next?
Why do you think this happened?
How can we find out?
Even in classrooms that follow a structured timetable, teachers can connect play to the curriculum. For example, children can explore scientific ideas like sink or float by testing different objects in water, making predictions, and discussing what they observe. When teachers create environments that encourage curiosity, exploration, and collaboration, children feel confident asking questions, trying new ideas, and making choices about their learning. In such classrooms, play and learning naturally go hand in hand.
Through purposeful play, children not only learn concepts but also develop important skills such as thinking, communication, teamwork, and self-management. These experiences help children become curious and confident lifelong learners.
Sparking Natural Curiosity
When we observe the excitement on a child’s face as they examine something closely through a magnifying glass, it invites us to pause and wonder at the learning unfolding in that moment. What may appear to be simple curiosity is, in fact, the beginning of meaningful inquiry. Child-led exploration occurs when children take the lead in their learning journeys, guided by their natural curiosity and desire to understand the world around them. Through such exploration, children actively construct knowledge through hands-on experiences. As they investigate, question, and test ideas, they begin to develop foundational skills in mathematics, language, and scientific thinking. At the same time, they practise essential 21st-century competencies such as problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, and communication.
In inquiry-based classrooms, the teacher’s role is intentional and reflective. Educators consider questions such as: What skills do we want children to practise? How can we design the environment to spark curiosity and encourage problem-solving? How can open-ended questions extend children’s thinking? How will we document their learning and reflect on the experiences with them? By thoughtfully considering these questions, teachers create learning environments that nurture curiosity and support meaningful exploration.
One morning, a child entered the classroom visibly excited after noticing a bug on the way to school. I invited the child to share this observation with the class, and immediately, the whole class’s curiosity was sparked. They began asking questions: What do bugs look like? What can they do? Are there different kinds of bugs? To build on their interest, we stepped outside into the school’s outdoor space to observe insects in their natural environment. I provided magnifying glasses, bug jars, and non-fiction books about insects to support their investigation. The children observed ants, houseflies, and spiders, and documented their observations through drawings and invented spellings.
As the inquiry unfolded, I supported their thinking with open-ended prompts such as: “What do you notice about this bug?” How is it different from another bug? How could we find out more about it? What do you think might happen if we place it on a leaf or on a rock? Questions like these encouraged children to observe, make predictions, and explore possible explanations. The classroom quickly filled with lively discussions as children began suggesting different strategies for learning more. One child proposed using a magnifying glass to examine the insect more closely, while another suggested looking through a book to identify different parts. These collaborative conversations allowed children to share ideas, build on one another’s thinking, and deepen their understanding.
Moments like these highlight the power of child-led exploration. When children are given the space, resources, and encouragement to investigate their interests, play becomes a dynamic and meaningful process. Curiosity drives inquiry, questions lead to discovery, and learning unfolds naturally through exploration and shared thinking.
Extending Learning Through Play
Play provides rich opportunities for differentiation across learning domains. When children engage in inquiry-based play, teachers can intentionally extend learning to support diverse developmental levels while maintaining children’s curiosity and engagement.
In mathematics, for example, learning can naturally emerge from children’s investigations. Emerging learners may begin by counting the number of bugs they discover and matching them to number cards. Developing learners can extend this understanding by sorting bugs based on attributes such as size, colour, or type. Advanced learners can take the exploration further by creating simple graphs to represent the number of bugs in each category and comparing the totals to determine which group has more or fewer. Language development can also grow meaningfully through such experiences. Emerging learners may begin by naming and describing bugs using simple descriptive words such as small, big, or black. Some children may verbally describe the different parts of the bug, strengthening oral language skills. Developing learners might label their drawings, while advancing learners may create a bug fact book or a bug journal, to document their observations and extend their vocabulary through writing.
Scientific thinking becomes equally visible in these explorations. Emerging learners observe insects using magnifying glasses and describe what they see, strengthening their observation skills and curiosity about the natural world. Developing learners may begin making predictions about what might happen if a bug is placed in different environments. Advancing learners can extend their inquiry further by designing simple investigations—for example, exploring which surfaces a bug moves faster on or more slowly. Through such experiences, children practise observing, predicting, testing ideas, and reflecting on their findings.
Beyond subject-specific skills, play also nurtures essential 21st-century competencies. As children make choices about what to explore, how to use materials, and how to pursue their ideas, they develop independence and decision-making skills. Inquiry naturally involves trial and error; children encounter challenges, experiment with solutions, revise their approaches, and gradually build resilience. In this process, creativity and flexible thinking emerge as children explore multiple possibilities and generate new ideas.
Importantly, such learning opportunities do not have to begin with elaborate plans. Often, they emerge from simple moments of curiosity. On one occasion, a child entered the classroom excitedly sharing that she had spotted the sight word “the” on a roadside hoarding while driving with her parents. Her excitement quickly spread to the rest of the class. Soon, children began searching for ways to create the word themselves. They explored letter cards, loose parts, and classroom materials, experimenting with different ways to build the word “the.”
This spontaneous moment of curiosity became a meaningful learning experience as children observed letter shapes, manipulated materials, and discussed their ideas with peers.
Nurturing Inquiring Learners
The IB Learner Profile and the development of key skills are central to inquiry-based learning. When children are encouraged to ask questions and explore ideas, they begin to develop the disposition of inquirers. Curiosity becomes the starting point for deeper learning, motivating children to investigate, read, and discover more about the world around them. As children grow, they also develop important Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, such as communication, research, and social skills. These skills help them collaborate with peers, share ideas, and apply their learning in meaningful ways. Teachers must thoughtfully plan learning experiences and provide support so that every child can participate and succeed.
Building strong relationships between teachers and students is equally important. When children feel safe, respected, and understood, they are more willing to take risks and engage with new challenges. Empathy and thoughtful routines help create a learning environment where children can thrive.
Play remains an essential part of early childhood learning. However, teachers often need to help parents understand that classroom play is purposeful and intentional. Through play-based experiences, children develop important academic concepts while also strengthening social, emotional, and thinking skills. When teachers communicate the value of purposeful play and share children’s learning with parents, a shared understanding develops, one that recognises play as a powerful pathway to meaningful learning.
Learning to Unlearn
Early in my teaching career, I worked in a highly structured and teacher-centred classroom. I carefully planned detailed lessons, and the curriculum followed a predetermined path. In such an environment, students had limited opportunities to make choices or influence their learning experiences. The focus was largely on delivering content rather than exploring children’s curiosity. My transition into the IB Primary Years Programme marked a significant turning point in my professional journey. It required me to unlearn many traditional teaching practices and rethink my role as an educator. Moving towards a student-centred and inquiry-driven classroom meant designing learning experiences that encouraged children to ask questions, explore ideas, and take ownership of their learning. Gradually, I realised that my role was not to direct learning, but to facilitate inquiry and nurture curiosity.
Learning to unlearn is an essential part of professional growth. As educators, we must remain open to questioning our assumptions and exploring new approaches that place children at the centre of the learning process. Curiosity is often the starting point for all learning—it sparks inquiry, discovery, and deeper understanding. Just as children are naturally curious about the world around them, adults, too, benefit from reconnecting with their own sense of wonder.
In this sense, teachers become co-learners in the classroom. By reading, observing, reflecting on their practice, and learning alongside children, educators begin to understand how purposeful play unfolds in meaningful ways. This shift does not need to happen all at once. Teachers can begin with small steps—introducing simple opportunities for exploration and gradually building confidence as they observe children’s engagement. When teachers listen carefully to children, notice their interests, and respond to their curiosity, the classroom becomes a shared space of discovery. In such environments, both teachers and students learn together, and exploration, joy, and meaningful learning naturally flourish.
References and Inspirations
This article draws upon classroom practice as well as ideas from leading thinkers in early childhood education and play-based learning, including:
Jean Piaget – Constructivist learning theory
Maria Montessori – Child-centred learning and prepared environments
Doris Bergen – Play and cognitive development
Trawick-Smith – Play-based learning research
IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework – Inquiry, agency and Approaches to Learning
Acknowledgement
This article draws primarily on the author’s classroom practice, professional experience, and presentations on play-based learning. Artificial intelligence tools were used to support language refinement, editing, organisation of ideas, and the creation of illustrative visuals.
Contact Details
Sumita Gupta
IBEN Programme Leader / IB PYP Educator, University of Bath, Maharashtra
M: 98693 31663
E: sumitagupta12@gmail.com