Play is much more than entertainment or a break from learning. It can provide a rich context in which children explore, experiment, make decisions, solve problems, communicate, cooperate, adapt their ideas, and learn from unsuccessful attempts. These experiences can contribute not only to curriculum learning but also to the development of transversal skills.
The white paper Impact of Play with Manipulatives/Building Objects on 3–6-Year-Olds’ Development of 21st Century Skills, by Lee Allison Scott and Jennifer Jipson, with Deborah Weber as advisor and reviewer, explores how hands-on play with manipulatives can support children’s learning and development. Based on a synthesis of research, the paper considers how different forms of play can contribute to skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration, as well as executive function and social-emotional development. Although the paper focuses primarily on children aged 3–6, many of the principles explored are also highly relevant when considering how playful learning experiences can support transversal skills development in primary education.
Read the full white paper: Impact of Play with Manipulatives/Building Objects on 3–6-Year-Olds’ Development of 21st Century Skills
1. The Power of Playful Learning
One of the most useful sections for SPIRIT teachers is The Power of Playful Learning.
The section shows that there is no single form of play. Children may play independently or with others; their play may be more or less structured; adults may have different levels of involvement; and play may serve different purposes. These different forms of play create different opportunities for learning and skills development.
As play becomes increasingly social, other skills become important. Children observe one another, exchange ideas, share materials and adapt their actions in response to others. In cooperative play, they may establish shared goals, negotiate, plan together, solve problems and coordinate their actions. Such situations create natural opportunities for communication, perspective-taking, flexible thinking and emotional regulation.
The paper also distinguishes between unstructured play, guided play and more adult-directed learning experiences. This is particularly important for teachers. Supporting learning through play does not necessarily mean leaving children completely on their own. Teachers can create conditions, provide materials, introduce challenges, and guide exploration while still preserving meaningful opportunities for children to make decisions, experiment and develop their own solutions.
The section also explores different functions of play, including physical, constructive, pretend/symbolic and game play. These forms frequently overlap rather than occurring separately. Building something together, for example, can simultaneously involve constructive play, imagination, social interaction, problem-solving and experimentation.
Why read this section?
We particularly recommend reading The Power of Playful Learning (pp. 11–23) because it provides a useful framework for understanding why different kinds of play can develop different skills.
For SPIRIT teachers, this section can help move the focus from:
“Which game should I use?” to “What happens while children are playing, and which skills are they actually practising?”
This distinction is important. A game does not develop a particular transversal skill simply because it has been labelled a “problem-solving game”, a “creativity game” or a “cooperative game”. Skills emerge through what pupils are required and enabled to think, decide, communicate, negotiate, change, create and do during play.
2. Creating a Playful Learning Environment
The second section we particularly recommend is Creating a Playful Learning Environment. Its central message is that playful learning depends not only on the game or materials themselves, but also on the environment created around the play.
The paper begins with the idea of a playful learning mindset. For teachers, this means recognising play as a meaningful mode of learning rather than simply a reward, recreational activity or break from “real” learning. The teacher’s role changes accordingly: instead of controlling every step of the activity, the teacher can act as a facilitator who creates conditions for exploration, experimentation and problem-solving.
A playful learning environment combines opportunities for structured and unstructured activity. Children need space to make choices, follow interests and develop their own ideas, while teachers can intentionally provide materials, challenges and questions that extend their thinking.
The physical learning environment also matters. Accessible and varied materials can invite children to manipulate, test, build, create and investigate. Open-ended materials are particularly valuable because they do not determine a single correct outcome. The same materials can be used in different ways by different children, providing opportunities for creativity, experimentation and individual approaches to solving problems.
The section also highlights the importance of the teacher’s actions. Teachers can prepare environments, rotate materials, observe children’s play and use questions to encourage further exploration. In this way, the environment itself becomes part of the pedagogy.
Finally, the paper extends the playful learning environment beyond school by discussing connections with families. Simple games and playful activities using familiar materials can help connect learning at school with children’s experiences at home.
Why read this section?
We recommend reading Creating a Playful Learning Environment (pp. 24–27) because successful play-based skills development depends on much more than selecting a good game.
A well-designed game can create opportunities for skills development, but the way the teacher introduces the activity, organises the environment, provides materials, responds to children’s ideas and intervenes during play can significantly influence what children actually experience and learn.
This section therefore encourages teachers to think: “What kind of environment will allow pupils to explore, make decisions, communicate, solve problems and learn through the game?”
This is particularly relevant to the SPIRIT approach because the teacher is not simply organising a game. The teacher is intentionally creating conditions in which pupils can practise and develop transversal skills through play.
3. Reflection
Think about a game or playful activity that you already use with your pupils. What do pupils actually have to do during the game? Do they have opportunities to:
- make decisions?
- generate their own ideas?
- solve problems?
- change their strategy?
- deal with frustration or unsuccessful attempts?
- listen and respond to other pupils?
- negotiate and make shared decisions?
- reflect on what happened?
Then consider:
Which SPIRIT skills are pupils genuinely practising through these experiences – and what could you change in the game or learning environment to strengthen those opportunities?