Let’s join the calls for a world where every child’s right to play is respected as part of International Day of Play (IDOP), on Tuesday 11 June 2024.
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to formally create the annual day to call attention to the need to ensure every child’s right to play is respected, protected and fulfilled, so they thrive and reach their potential.
Through play, children engage with the people, places and objects around them to build an understanding of their world. Positive attitudes towards learning, such as persistence, curiosity and imagination, are all developed during play, setting children up for a lifelong love of learning.
Victoria leads the way in play
Play-based learning is central to developing and nurturing children’s cognitive skills and overall wellbeing. This well-known pedagogy is outlined in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), which describes adult-led learning intersected with child-directed learning.
Children learn best through a combination of adult-led and self-directed exploration and imagination, in which adults react to children’s interests and steer them (‘scaffold’) to achieve learning outcomes through their play, to stimulate their intellectual, physical, social, and creative abilities.
For tips on how parents and carers can integrate play into a child’s learning, refer to Play-based learning for preschoolers.
For educators wanting information about play-based learning, refer to Why Play-based learning?
You can also check out a video recording of Australian Research Council Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer’s presentation on play-based learning at the 2023 Best Start, Best Life 2023 Educational Leaders Conference.
Find out more
For more information, refer to International Day of Play.
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