The Proven Benefits
of Play-Based Learning

How Play-Based Learning Helps

Academic Challenges in Math, Literacy, and Science

• Average student achievement in math and reading continues to fall, with students being half a grade level behind (Dewey, et al., 2025)
• The COVID-19 pandemic slowed children’s literacy growth, among other academic areas, with the greatest negative impact experienced in low-income or majority-minority school districts, English language learners, and/or students with learning disabilities (Domingue, et al., 2022).
• Less than a third of students scored at or above proficient in science. Only 39% of students are interested in science topics they are studying and only 38% see putting effort into learning science as valuable or relevant to their lives outside of school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2025).

How Play-Based Learning Improves Math, Literacy & Science Understanding

• Play-based learning has proven to be more effective than direct instruction in developing early math skills and math vocabulary (Skene,et al., 2022; Vogt, et al., 2018)
• Play-based learning supports students’ understanding of science content and concepts. For example, when pre-school children learned basic science concepts through acting out stories related to the curriculum, they developed a deeper understanding because learning was meaningful, accessible and fun. (Cho, 2024)
• Play-based classrooms have greater literacy learning gains than children who learn foundation literacy skills through direct instruction (Allee-Herndon, et al., 2022)
• Children taught math and reading skills through play-based learning show higher gains than children learning through direct instruction. This is particularly true for children who are struggling to achieve academic goals (Taylor & Boyer, 2020)

Chronic Absenteeism

Attendance and Engagement Challenges

• Students who were absent in any grade from kindergarten through fifth grade showed lower academic outcomes, had weaker social-emotional skills and were more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems. (Ansari & Gottfried, 2021; Gottfried, et. al., 2023)
• Frequent absenteeism also resulted in fewer gains in math and literacy as well as executive function. (Ansari & Gottfried, 2021)
• Chronic absenteeism in kindergarten and first grade can result in negative academic outcomes in later grades. (Ansari & Gottfried, 2021)
• Self-reports from fifth graders who were chronically absent indicated increased school-related stress and anxiety and decreased levels of motivation and a sense of belonging. (Ansari & Gottfried, 2021)
• Research shows that lack of engagement and attendance reduce student achievement threefold (Coffin & Mason, 2025).
• Chronic absenteeism is a proven indicator of students at risk (Rafa, 2017).
• Chronic absenteeism also takes away resources from schools, based on poorer performance from those students who are frequently absent (Malkus, 2025).
• Beyond the negative impact on academic and social-emotional outcomes for the chronically absent student, absenteeism puts additional demands on teachers who need to find time and resources to reengage those students in learning the curriculum (Malkus, 2025).
• Classrooms that experience frequent absences are likely to have disrupted instruction and less student engagement overall, which not only impacts students, but results in lower job satisfaction and increased stress for teachers (Gottfried, et al., 2025).

Research: How Play-Based Learning Supports Attendance and Engagement

• When children enjoy school and feel comfortable with peers and teachers, they are less likely to have frequent absences. Teachers who create classroom routines that help welcome students have students who are more likely to engage in class and attend school regularly (Gottfried, et al., 2023).
• The most effective attendance interventions target physical and mental health (Gottfried, et al., 2023).
• Students are more likely to come to school and be engaged if schoolwork feels relevant and relatable, and when they feel a sense of belonging (Gottfried, et al., 2023).
• The quality of student learning experiences has a direct influence on their engagement in school (Winthrop, et al., 2025)
• When schoolwork feels relevant and relatable and students have a sense of belonging and agency, they are more likely to attend school, engage in learning and have better academic and lifelong outcomes. (Gottfried, et al., 2023; Winthrop, et al., 2025)
• Adopting a more holistic, school-wide approach to addressing student absenteeism and disengagement has been shown to be effective, particularly when schools add professional development that targets “strengthening relationships with students and families,” as well as adopting a classroom pedagogy that supports a wide range of student needs and abilities. (Gottfried, et al., 2025).

Teacher Shortages and Recruitment Difficulties

Teacher Retention and Working-Conditions Challenges

• Teacher shortages have reached critical levels, with educators leaving for a variety of reasons. Research highlights these causes (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Kraft & Lyon, 2024; Malkus, 2025; Young, 2018):
  • Lack of: autonomy, resources, advancement opportunities, and on-the-job support.
  • Testing and accountability pressures
  • Low salaries that have not kept up with equivalent professions and inflation
  • Dissatisfaction with profession or a career change
  • Feeling unprepared by some teacher preparation programs
  • School safety
• Teacher shortages have caused many schools to lower the qualifications they require for hiring teachers, which reduces the quality of education and the likelihood that these teachers have the preparation to remain in the profession (National Center for Education Statistics, 2025; Wiggan, et al., 2021 ).
• High-stakes testing as a measure of teacher performance and accountability has removed autonomy, trust, and professional regard and decreased the number of new teachers entering the profession (Kraft & Lyon, 2024).
• Teachers also left because of a lack of community and support (Young, 2018)
• When students are disengaged or absent, teachers experience more stress and exhaustion and report lower confidence and self-efficacy (Gottfried, et al., 2025).

Research: How Play-Based Learning Supports Teacher Satisfaction and Retention

• The working conditions associated with play-based learning—teacher autonomy, professional trust, collaborative culture—are the same factors that keep teachers in the profession (Nguyen, et al., 2026; Podolsky & Darling-Hammond, 2025)
• Teachers who felt happiest and most effective in the classroom saw opportunities to grow as professionals, had strong classroom management skills, time to get to know their students, and were trusted to implement evidenced-based pedagogies that best met the needs of their students (Young, 2018).
• Teachers are more likely to feel successful and fulfilled in their jobs when they are interacting with students productively and seeing student learning growth (Gottfried, et al., 2025).
• Critical factors for supporting teacher wellbeing and teacher retention include: leadership that supports teacher autonomy, encourages and recognizes innovative teaching practices, and factored in teacher input when making curriculum and school policy decisions (Nyguyen, et al., 2026).
• Administrative observation that was constructive, collaborative and supportive of professional growth were cited as strong strategies for school leadership and teacher retention (Nyguyen, et al., 2026).
• Classrooms where students are actively engaged in learning and working collaboratively with their peers and teachers are more likely to have teachers who report increased job satisfaction and wellbeing (Gottfried, et al., 2025)

Mental Health Challenges for Students and Educators

Student and Teacher Wellbeing Challenges:

• A focus on high-stakes testing and a reliance on test scores to represent student learning has brought added, unproductive stress to students and teachers
• Teachers experience more stress and exhaustion and report lower confidence and self-efficacy when students are disengaged or absent (Gottfried, et al., 2025).
• When students feel stressed, anxious, or frustrated their cognitive functioning and motivation are negatively impacted–in addition to decreased willingness to socialize appropriately and a negative mental state (Pahutar, et al., 2024).
• Teacher burnout is linked to negative physical and mental health and occupational outcomes (Hlado, et al., 2025).
• If students are not able to understand or complete what is being asked of them, they become uncomfortable and see learning as “not fun” and lose motivation.(Klemp, et al., 2025)

Research: How Play-Based Learning Supports Wellbeing and Classroom Climate

• Emotionally supportive classrooms help students be ready to learn and more deeply engage with content and their peers and teacher(s) (Klemp, et al., 2025; Pahutar, et al., 2024; Xu, et al., 2025).
• Lessons that are relevant, meaningful and relatable allow greater opportunity for students to make emotional connections to the content and be curious about what they are learning and its real-world applications. Students make strong connections to the material and are better able to problem-solve, which makes for lasting engagement and investment, as well as emotional wellbeing (Klemp, et al., 2025; Pahutar, et al., 2024; Xu, et al., 2025).
• Positive emotions expand student potential by fostering peer-to-peer relationships, promoting empathy, and enhancing intellectual development through cognitive flexibility, self-efficacy, strong problem-solving skills and resilience (Pahutar, et al., 2024; Xu, et al., 2025).
• Social interactions among peers and with their teachers builds resilience and a sense of belonging, which creates a safe space for children to learn from academic challenges and learn life skills such as conflict resolution, sharing, resilience, collaboration and communication (Allen, et al., 2025; Klemp, et al., 2025).
• Schools that create a supportive environment, address teacher concerns, work together collaboratively and promote professional growth provide a viable model for improving teacher wellbeing (Hlado, et al., 2025).
• Teachers can help students feel a sense of belonging and self-efficacy through instructional practices such as creating activities that are engaging and developmentally appropriate, scaffolding learning and encouraging student choices and interests in what they are learning. All of this is supported by a play-based pedagogy (Klemp, et al., 2025).
• Play reduces stress and builds a positive environment for learning (Allee-Herndon & Roberts, 2021).

Inequities and Learning Gaps Continue to Expand

Equity and Achievement Gap Challenges

• A focus on high-stakes testing and a reliance on test scores to represent student learning has brought added, unproductive stress to students and teachers and led to negative consequences for students, particularly those with disadvantages (Myung, 2021; Nicolson, et al., 2016).
• highly-scripted curriculum, high-stakes testing and frequent focus on test scores as representative of student learning, resulting in many school districts being rated as “low performing” and the teachers and schools removing play as a tool for learning from the school day (Nicolson, et al., 2016).
• Average student achievement in math and reading continue to lag behind grade-level, and students who are in disadvantaged groups (e.g. low-income, minority, english language learners, etc.) see the largest achievement gaps (Dewey, et al., 2025, Domingue et al., 2022).

Research: How Play-Based Learning Supports Equity and Learning Recovery

Purposeful, goal-focused and developmentally-appropriate play-based learning shows promise as an effective pedagogy for addressing the achievement gap and helping students facing poverty and other adverse conditions (Allee-Herndon, et al., 2022; Alee-Hernon & Roberts, 2021).

Engaging children in play-based learning builds foundational skills and knowledge stick in a way that will help them be successful in school and life. When children impacted by poverty learn through play, they build knowledge and skills that can decrease the achievement gap (Allee-Herndon & Robertson, 2021).

Play reduces stress and builds a positive environment for learning that most ideally supports disadvantaged learners (Allee-Herndon & Robertson, 2021; Goldberg, 2022).

References

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