Observe
Watch how students use materials and what questions they ask.
Play-based Educator’s Toolkit
A practical companion for implementing play-based learning
This toolkit offers checklists, examples, and ready-to-use resources you can keep on hand as you plan. It is not about instant change. Instead, it supports intentional steps toward a classroom environment where curiosity and student engagement thrive.
Classroom Setup Ideas
Arrange desks in clusters or open spaces for collaboration
Add a “Wonder Wall” for student questions and ideas
Include baskets of open-ended materials (blocks, shells, boxes)
Keep décor simple and student-created (word walls, number lines)
Make space for movement, exploration, and group work
Sample Essential Questions
Post one of these to guide a week’s lessons:
- Why do trees matter?
- How do rivers shape communities?
- What makes a system fair or unfair?
- How do we learn from mistakes?
- What if everyone in the world played the same game?
Sample Letter for Families
Dear Families,
Welcome to our classroom! We’re looking forward to a great year with your child and to getting to know your family. Our classroom might function differently from the classroom you remember from your own elementary school years, but be assured that this was done intentionally.
In our classroom, children are building, creating, designing, debating, and collaborating in small groups and pairs. It may look like play and your child may describe their day as one spent “playing,” but this is a different kind of play than the free-play you might be imagining. Your child will be engaging in play-based learning, which is an intentional, inquiry-based approach that is aligned with standards and has the same goals as traditional classroom learning.
Research on child development tells us that children learn best when they are active, curious, and engage in real-world problem solving. Play-based learning helps children connect knowledge and skills across disciplines in deep and meaningful ways.
We would like to share with you some of the basic ideas of play-based learning:
- Play-based learning doesn’t make school any less rigorous; it has the additional aim to make learning more meaningful and joyful to keep children engaged and excited.
- Play-based learning isn’t separate from academic instruction; it’s the foundation of how children learn.
- Our approach is directly aligned with the Common Core and state and district standards in math, science, social studies, literacy, and social-emotional learning.
- Hearing the word “play” may make one think that this approach is only for our youngest learners, but this is not the case. Children in upper-elementary grades also benefit from this type of learning. Play-based learning gives older students opportunities to tackle more difficult projects and issues, become more independent and confident, and gain a deeper understanding of what they are learning and make connections across disciplines and to the real world.
- Teachers are still in charge; they set the stage, scaffold the learning and, with input from the class, decide on community rules. Play-based classrooms are not chaotic and disorganized; they are purposeful and meaningful.
We invite you to visit and see your child’s learning in action. You’ll witness students solving problems, creating solutions, and practicing the 21st-century skills they’ll need for the future.
We look forward to an exciting year of discovery together.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Daily Practices Guide
Scaffold
Offer prompts like “What else could you try?” or “Why do you think that happened?
Rotate Materials
Open-ended materials allow for students to apply knowledge, test their understanding and explore their own curiosities.
Reflect
End the day with a short share-out of discoveries or “wonders”.
Easy Wins to Try
- Rearrange desks for group collaboration
- Add a basket of atrificial fruit or shells or stones for sorting and storytelling
- Post a single essential question on the board
- Swap a worksheet for a building or problem-solving challenge
- Start a “Wonder Wall” with sticky notes for student questions
Next Steps
For more in-depth resources, explore our page about Getting Started with Play-Based Learning.
This toolkit is designed as a practical starting point. Begin with one small change, reflect on what you see, and build from there. Play-based learning takes planning and intentionality, and this resource is here to support you along the way.