What is Play-Based Learning?
Key Insights Play-based learning is an intentional, research-aligned approach that uses play as the primary context for learning. Play and play-based learning are not the same: play-based learning requires thoughtful planning, observation, and guidance from educators. High-quality play-based learning supports whole-child development, including cognitive, social–emotional, language, and physical growth. Play… Read More
7 Popular Early Learning Approaches (and Why Play Matters Across All of Them)
Summary of Insights Choosing an early learning approach shapes how children experience learning, how teachers implement instruction, and how classrooms function day to day. While early learning approaches differ in philosophy and practice, the way play is supported through curriculum is a key indicator of how well an approach is… Read More
Protecting Play in the Early Years: The Heartbeat of Learning
This article originally appeared in the December issue of The Exchange. In early childhood education, play has always been the heartbeat of learning. It is how children make sense of the world. It’s how they explore big questions, express their feelings, test out roles, and build relationships. And yet, in recent years,… Read More
Getting to Rigor Through Play-Based Learning: What Research Tells Us Is Best for Young Learners
In every culture, children play. They play to make sense of the world; to learn about themselves and others; and to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. And research shows that rigorous academic learning starts through play.1 To harness children’s natural curiosity and love of play, many… Read More
Educating the Whole Child: Language Development
In January of this year, my first grandchild was born. Watching him as he discovers the world around him has quickly become our favorite pastime. To our joy and delight, he recently started recognizing and responding to his name and expressing himself verbally via frequent cooing and babbling. His… Read More
Introducing The Creative Curriculum for Transitional Kindergarten: California
In 2022, California legislators announced the expansion of transitional kindergarten to ensure every 4-year-old child in the state had a seat in a transitional kindergarten program by the 2025-2026 school year. We welcomed the announcement with enormous optimism for the children of the Golden State. For more than four decades,… Read More
How Fort Worth ISD Teachers Got Their Nights and Weekends Back
Since adopting The Creative Curriculum in 2021, the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) has watched countless joyful learning experiences unfold in their classrooms; seen their community and its families deeply engage in their pre-K program; and even given teachers an invaluable resource,… Read More
Forward, Together in FWISD – A District and Community Focused on Its Early Learners
CHALLENGE: Establish an Early Learning Environment That Fosters Growth for Every Child When school leaders in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) reflected on how to best support the diverse needs of its over 73,000 students and provide a pathway to success in school and in life,… Read More
Building Strong Vocabulary Through Studies
I love words. Mostly, I love when I know the right words to say exactly what I mean. I also love knowing what other people mean by the words they choose, regardless of whether those words are spoken aloud or written on a page. Simply put, a strong vocabulary helps… Read More
Refreshing Your Own Sense of Wonder Through Studies
Young children often marvel at the simple joys found in the world around them. Studies from The Creative Curriculumhonor and leverage that sense of wonder to help children explore and investigate, form connections, and make sense of the world through play. As a classroom teacher, I… Read More
