By Elvira Oskam, Classroom Teacher KG1 White and advocate for play
On Global Play Day (7 February) students and parents came in to play together in the classes. This year we had more parents than the year before and that excited both students, teachers and parents alike. During the day, there were three time slots, in which we had 4 play areas. Each time slot was meant for two grade levels, which offered cross-grade play opportunities. The four play areas were:
- Box building in the Aula. Different sizes of boxes were provided to create whatever the students wanted. The Early Years even got to practice using tools like saws and screwdrivers especially designed for cardboard.
- Puzzles in the drama room. Jigsaw puzzles of various pieces could be completed in the drama room. These were provided by the school’s Puzzle Club. The pressure of the timeslot gave an extra boost to the collaboration and trying to solve the mystery.
- Play in the big gym. Different play apparatus and games were set up to enjoy and get much of our energy out. This was the biggest hit of all! That also meant a bit more patience of some of our students, but did not take away the fun.
- Outdoor play. Early Years has many outdoor play material and these were taken out for whoever wanted to try them out. For example, we had new kites, our mud kitchen, the bikes, bubbles, a water table and pipes.
In classes the teachers decided together with the students how they wanted to experience the day. Students had their own toys, but they were also able to enjoy crafts and play board games.
History of #GPD
Global Play Day is an initiative that was started in 2015 by a group of educators. They noticed an increase in standardised testing and academic pressures and vastly less opportunities for unstructured play. Their big inspiration is Professor Peter Gray, a research professor in Psychology and Neuroscience, who advocates for play. Professor Gray sees a vital role for play when it comes to the overall development of children; personal, physical and intellectual. By starting this initiative the group of educators wanted to gain attention for the importance of play and more specifically unstructured play.
Going forward with #GPD at ISU
We hope in the future, more parents will join us for the first part of the day, playing together with the children. We would love to have more options for big organised play areas and more time in these. But most of all, that we all keep recognising the importance of Global Play Day and how it can inspire us to integrate more play in our daily lives!