“Guided play” activities are more effective in developing early maths skills than direct teaching, a new study has found.
 
What is guided play? 

Guided play is an activity where the adult has a clear “learning goal” in mind for the child to develop. Open-ended questions and promts help the child to achieve the goals in a “flexible” way.


For a long time, play and learning have been viewed as two separate activities. Recently, however, it has been more recognized that playtime can be beneficial to teach children crucial skills. 

The study done at the Play in Education, Development and Learning (Pedal) Centre at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education, discovered that the “overall pattern of these results suggests that guided play may be especially beneficial for maths-based learning” since abstract concepts could be understood more easily in the context of an imaginary game.

“In fact, although there are still some big questions about how we should use guided play in classrooms, there is promising evidence that it actively enhances learning and development, ” said Paul Ramchandani, Professor of Play in Education, Development, and Learning at the University of Cambridge. 

Children playing colorful blocks in classroom.
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