Educational Toys & Play

Building blocks toy over floor in white empty interior. Childrenroom design.

#UKEdChat session 493 – It’s fairly uncontroversial to say that play is a good thing. Play in the early years of life is encouraged to improve social and communication skills, and it is an important part of developing creativity and imagination.

Yet there comes a point when play is discouraged as more formal structures of education kick in. But are we missing an opportunity by suggesting our older students to stop playing and does this lead to more rigid thinking?

While playing doesn’t necessarily require anything other than an imagination (just watch any primary school playground!), toys and other stimuli can assist in the process, and there is a huge number of products out there which could add value to the classroom in a multitude of ways.

In the #UKEdChat discussion on Thursday 5th March 2020 at 8pm(UK), and during the After Hours Webinar at 9pm(UK), we will discuss the role of play in learning, how directed play can be used in the classroom, and how toys and other things can be used to help the learning process.

🔼UKEdChat After Hours Webinar, featuring @ICTmagic.

Tweets mentioned in the webinar:

Questions

In your opinion, what is the purpose of play in education?
When should play be encouraged and discouraged?
What advantages are there to play and playfulness in your subject or classroom?
How can/do you use structured play in your classroom?
What is the best environment for encouraging play?
What educational toys did you play with when you were growing up?
What are your favourite educational toys/resources to encourage learning, at home for your own children or in school?
Should teachers engage in play themselves, and does this improve teaching and learning?

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