On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the PYP Student Council will host our annual participation in Global School Play Day – an annual celebration of playing as the essential “work” of childhood. This year, our students are also encouraged to dress as crazily as they can, which will add another layer of fun to this extraordinary day. Our annual participation in Global School Play Day helps us communicate our commitment as a school to playful learning. Play is at the heart of childhood and school should be a joyful experience for all students. Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education says it best:
“Learning through play is not available to most children… A false dichotomy is partially to blame, positioning play, enjoyment, and emotions to be at odds with learning and rigor. Creating powerful learning experiences for students means breaking down this distinction. It means bringing children’s natural way of learning through play together with the teaching of important skills and mindsets that children need to be contributing members of their communities.”
Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Through playful learning and non hierarchical relationships with teachers, our students learn how to collaborate, how to negotiate rules and relationships, and how to imagine and create. They learn to find and solve problems, think flexibly and critically, and communicate effectively, to lead their own learning, explore the unknown, and find joy in school. Why? Because such playful learning can help students learn fundamental concepts and skills, as well as develop their abilities to collaborate, solve problems, and navigate uncertainty. Because using play as a strategy for learning—asking “What if” in order to explore, adapt, and create—is vital in addressing complex local and global issues.
We’re looking forward to seeing our students share their crazy dress ideas and play freely, throughout the day, on February 7th.