Children learn more through ‘guided play’ than from teacher-led instruction, according to a new study by experts at Cambridge University. A play-focused approach to learning, where children are ...

Connecticut teachers want you to know that “play-based learning” is not an oxymoron. For years child development and education experts have praised the benefits of play-based learning — a pedagogy ...

Social and emotional learning is crucial to childhood development. Unfortunately, children in areas affected by conflict and disaster are more likely to miss out on critical learning opportunities.

A third grade student sets the last domino down in a row along the edge of a table while playing in Crystal O’Brien’s classroom at Shidler Elementary School in Oklahoma City. Credit: Ariel ...

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When the doors to Mansfield Elementary School in northeastern Connecticut officially opened to students in the 2023-24 school year, Principal Kate McCoy had a lot to be excited about. She looked ...

January 8, 2026 - It's time for John Fensterwald's annual predictions for what's in store for education in 2026. When it comes to early childhood education, child’s play may well be serious business.

One of my earliest posts here concerned the definition of play, which I developed further in an article on “Definitions of Play” for Scholarpedia (Gray, 2013) and in my book Free to Learn. I first ...