Blog - My Play Based Classroom
Hi there!
I'm Janelle - a play-based early years teacher passionate about creating learning experiences that ignite curiosity, creativity, and academic growth.
On this blog, I share practical tips on meeting curriculum benchmarks through a balance of explicit teaching and play, setting up the ideal learning environment and fostering social-emotional development.
Let’s make play-based teaching work in your your preschool, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms!
Reflection Time in a Play Based Classroom: How to Run It Effectively
Discover why reflection time is a vital part of a play-based classroom. Learn how to implement Walker Learning reflection strategies to connect play with curriculum and support student growth.
Understanding Play Theories: A Guide for Play Based Teachers
Explore play theories from Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Susan Issacs. See how they can inform your teaching in a play-based learning classroom and help you create a rich and supportive play-based learning environment that nurtures children's development and fosters a love for learning.
The Orientation Schema
In this blog post, you will learn all about the orientation schema and why it needs to be supported in your classroom. You’ll also discover several hands-on playful activities that will help you to support this interesting play schema.
Teaching Geometry in Kindergarten
Discover engaging, play-based strategies for teaching geometry in kindergarten. Align lessons with the Australian Curriculum using hands-on activities that build foundational math skills.
A Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education
If you would like to create an engaging and effective learning environment and confidently plan learning experiences that perfectly match the cognitive development of each child in your class, this blog post on play schemas is for you. Understanding play schemas and being able to pinpoint the ones your students are developing is critical to the success of your early childhood classroom.
23 Loose Parts Ideas for Early Childhood Math
Looking for ideas on how to use loose parts to teach early childhood math concepts? This blog post has 23 engaging activities and ideas you can use in your classroom.
How to Write a Statement of Intent for Your Play Based Learning Classroom
If you are familiar with the Walker Learning Approach, then you are no doubt also familiar with writing a Statement of Intent. This fortnightly planning document is vital to the success of your play-based learning program. Check out this blog post to see how we write ours.
How to Write a Play Based Learning Term Overview
If you think curriculum planning and mapping out your term is hard work and you find it a dreaded task that seems to take you forever, you are going to love this blog post on how to write a play-based learning term overview. I’ll show you my quick and easy process.
Teaching the F-2 ACARA Math Learning Intentions Through Play
Discover how to teach ACARA Maths through play-based learning in Foundation to Year 2. This blog post shares hands-on strategies, activities, and resources aligned with Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum.
Reggio Emilia Provocations
Are you interested in how Reggio Emilia provocations could enhance the teaching and learning in your play-based classroom? Many play-based teachers are aware of the highly regarded early childhood programs from Reggio Emilia in Italy. Discover how you can design learning provocations influenced and inspired by those in Reggio classrooms.
Science Provocations – Living Things
Are you teaching the early years biology strand and looking for some engaging and educational science provocations to help your students learn about Living Things? In this blog post there are 5 engaging living things provocations to inspire you. There are also tips and ideas to help you set up your very own purposeful early childhood science learning provocations.
Teaching Science in a Play Based Classroom
Teaching science in a play based classroom is one of the easiest things you will ever do as a classroom teacher. In this blog post you will discover how play based learning and science education go hand-in-hand. I’ll share heaps of photos and ideas you can use in your classroom to teach science through play and learning provocations.
The Teacher’s Role in Loose Parts Play
What is the teacher’s role in loose parts play? In this blog post you will discover which loose parts are best for your children and find out how the teacher plays a vital role in the success of loose parts play in the classroom.
Christmas Classroom Ideas
Are you looking for some classroom ideas to help you celebrate Christmas over these last few weeks of school? I have collated 9 of the best hands-on Christmas classroom ideas for your kindergarten or preschool classroom.
Christmas Maths Activities for Kindergarten
Engage your students with fun, hands-on Christmas maths activities for kindergarten! Explore playful counting, patterning, and sensory ideas like Tree Counting, Christmas Board Games and a Christmas Counting Sensory Bin - all perfect for the end of term.
Loose Parts Play: What It Is and Why It Matters
Find out what loose parts are and where the idea of loose parts play originated. Discover the benefits of loose parts play and get some easy and practical ideas for loose parts play in your classroom.
Stages of Block Play
Discover the 7 stages of block play and the influences these stages can have to the design of your learning environment. BONUS FREE Block Play Stages pdf to download and print.
Piaget and Play Based Learning
Piaget’s theories of cognitive development have influenced our modern play pedagogies. See how Piaget and play based learning go hand-in-hand and how his theories reinforce the idea that children learn through play. Discover some practical play-based learning ideas for your classroom.