Additional Getting an Early Start with Growing Hands, Minds, and Hearts articles:
“Play is the highest form of research,”
at least according to Einstein. And, really,
who are we to argue? Play helps children
organically process surroundings and
situations and provides time for them to
explore and begin trusting themselves and
their abilities. Children are, by and large,
their most imaginative, creative, spirited, and
delightful during their childhood years.
Unfortunately, most people tend to veer
away from play as we get older, or it becomes
more organized play. We start school, and
life suddenly becomes more scheduled,
more serious, more driven. We might join a
sports or other competitive team or take up
an instrument. With more technology, more
entertainment and social options, more societal
demands, and just more in general, there are
generally fewer expectations, less freedom, and
minimal opportunity to be bored, to engage
our curiosity, and to wonder. Further, often,
children who are particularly creative or artistic
by nature tend to tune out or quickly lose
interest in school. The structure and the need to
constantly perform become too much.
PLAYING IS LEARNING
School doesn’t have to be this way,
however, especially for early learners. The play
that infants and toddlers engage in serves an
important purpose.
“Play is the way children learn about the
world around them,” says Emma Smith, “and
it should be an important part of their early
education at home and in school.”
Smith, the K-5 STEM instructor at Broadway
Elementary in Broadway, NC, says that children
learn a number of things through play. “Play
encourages imagination, develops literacy
and numeracy skills, and aids in emotional
and physical development.”
Stephanie Jones, a professor of early
childhood development at Harvard
University’s Graduate School of Education,
seems to agree. “In addition to promoting
curiosity, exploration, and creativity, play
provides children with the opportunity to
practice important executive function and
self-regulation skills like paying attention,
inhibiting their impulses, and remembering
and updating information,” she says (“The Importance of Learning Through Play”).
HANDS ON, MINDS ON
Best practices in early childhood
education are clear that hands-on
opportunities in a child’s natural
environment, such as those
activities experienced through
hands-on play, promote basic
developmental skills that later
become skills and competencies
that last for many years and
lead to both educational and
professional success.
Rooted in the work of education
psychologists and constructivists
such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget,
and Lev Vygotsky, as well as early
childhood studies such as those done
by the HighScope® Educational Research
Foundation, hands-on, immersive learning
taps into the human brain’s aptitude not
just for knowledge retention but also for
knowledge construction. It provides
children the opportunity to
develop skills rather than
memorize content.
STEM AT PLAY
There are numerous
ways to incorporate
play, both in the
classroom and at
home. “Parents
and teachers can
help students
learn through
hands-on play and
discovery,” says Smith.
“Provide opportunities
for unstructured play.
Encourage them to organize
random items in any way that
makes sense to them and then ask
them to explain their choices.”
Further, play can include more than just
toys. “Rocks, kitchen utensils, shoes, boxes . . .
anything can fuel imaginative play,” says Smith.
“At home, parents can involve their children in
cooking, either real or play. Measuring, stirring,
chopping, and scooping are all skills that
require understanding of math concepts.”
In fact, Smith says many hands-on play
activities help children learn those all-important
STEM and soft skills future employers are
looking for! “Teachers can provide Hot Wheels
cars to teach force and motion, or flashlights
when teaching the phases of the moon. Board
games reinforce skills in math, reading, problem-solving,
and communication. . . . Providing
soft-start activities in the classroom such as
STEM bins makes for a more inviting, creative
learning environment.”
AT HOME WITH STEM PLAY
When Broadway Elementary’s STEM
program began in 2019, Smith was excited
to introduce her students to hands-on
STEM activities. She created nine centers for
students to choose from, including building
blocks, puzzles, crafts, games, an investigation
center, a magnetic marble maze, and more!
In 2020, the pandemic hit, and Smith had
to come up with new ways for students to
engage in hands-on STEM learning – at home.
Luckily for her students, she adapts quickly!
She created at-home STEM activities that
made it easy for her students to continue
learning through play.
“There are many STEM challenges students
can complete at home,” says Smith. “Our
favorite activity was cup stacking. Students
used a pack of plastic or paper cups to build
the tallest tower, a wall, or a skyscraper. Some
built pyramids while others alternated up-and-down-facing cups to make a spire. Others
placed toys or rocks on top of their towers to
see if it would hold up.”
Smith’s students also enjoyed activities such
as creating
maps of their
bedroom, house,
or backyard,
and creating
marble mazes.
“They measured
and designed
furniture to
include in their
maps,” says Smith. “And, for the marble mazes,
they used LEGO® bricks, cardboard, empty paper
towel tubes, pool noodles, and more.”
Children grow up and become serious
about life so quickly as it is. Why not let
them continue to enjoy hands-on, creative,
imaginative play for as long as possible? As
we’ve seen, there’s so much more to play than
simply having fun!
PLAY WITH PITSCO!
If you’re unsure how to get your students started in hands-on STEM play, Pitsco can help! The following
solutions will be sure to engage your early learners in hands-on, creative, playful learning.