Every child is unique, and they don’t all thrive under a single approach. If an approach or trying something new feels unsuitable for your pedagogy, are you being inflexible and overlooking the needs of some children?
Are you impacting their curiosity and love for learning by not being flexible and blending different approaches to ensure all are invited into the learning process? The exclusive reliance on child-led play leaves gaps for children who require more scaffolding and support, including those with additional needs.
In this article, I am briefly looking at the benefits of child-led play vs guided play and how you can ensure you are fully facilitating their needs, curiosity, engagement, well-being, and learning.
Several pedagogies advocate child-led play, which emphasises autonomy and creativity. Others advocate the flexible combination of child-led play and guided play, providing a structured complement that bridges the gap between exploration and intentional learning.
Pedagogies: Their Perspectives On Creative Play And Learning
Montessori:
– Focuses on child autonomy within a prepared environment
– The educator acts as a guide, introducing materials and activities designed to scaffold learning
Reggio Emilia:
– Advocates child-led inquiry but emphasises the role of the educator as a co-learner and facilitator
Curiosity Approach:
– Advocates child-led learning that encourages children to think for themselves, make their own choices, directing their own learning
Pikler Approach:
– Stresses respectful observation and autonomy, particularly in infancy
– Encourages child-led exploration but acknowledges the role of adults in creating a safe, enabling environment
Vygotskian Approach:
– Central to guided play, emphasising social interaction and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
– Adults scaffold learning, helping children achieve more than they could independently
Common Misconceptions Of Guided Play
Guided play undermines autonomy:
– Evidence from Montessori and Reggio Emilia demonstrates that structured guidance enhances, rather than diminishes, independence
Guided play stifles creativity:
– Creativity flourishes when children are exposed to new tools (including technology), scenarios, themes, and concepts introduced through guided play
What Is Guided Play?
Guided play is a wonderful bridge to develop skills and learning when they are interested in a topic or item. If they are obsessed with dinosaurs or mini beasts, think of all the fun they can have as they learn with creative guided play
- Creative guided play enables you to target learning by focusing on specific skills ranging from motor skills, language development, and social interaction, offering prompts or suggestions that enhance learning
- You can develop cognitive growth by introducing problem-solving scenarios or puzzles that encourage critical thinking and reasoning within the context of their creative play
- By including appropriate structure, you can scaffold their learning with tailored challenges that match a child’s developmental stage, promoting their cognitive, physical, and emotional growth
- Guidance in play can help children develop emotional regulation by helping them to navigate frustrations and setbacks, supporting emotional resilience and patience
- Modelling social skills (turn-taking, sharing, negotiating) encourages collaboration and cooperative play, helping children learn to work as a team and communicate effectively
- Creative guided play introduces inclusive activities and encourages group inclusion, ensuring all children feel a sense of belonging and purpose
- Guided play enables you to introduce children to new ideas and themes, such as nature, science, art, or culture, within the context of guided creative play, broadening their perspectives and experiences
- Creative guided play is a fun way to combine creativity with educational elements (e.g., using blocks to teach shapes and numbers), reinforcing learning through play in a fun and engaging manner
- In more structured or challenging play scenarios, educators can provide security by offering support and supervision, ensuring the environment feels, and remains, safe as the child explores new ideas
- Educators can step in when a child is unsure, providing the emotional support needed to help them take risks in their play
The evidence:
- Skene et al 2022: “Studies identified play to have greater positive effects than free play on vocabulary, maths, and some executive function outcomes”
- Lillard & Else-Quest 2006: “Research shows Montessori students outperform peers in executive function, academic achievement, and social skills”
- Piagetian support for play: Piaget identified play as essential for cognitive growth. Guided play supports children in moving through developmental stages by introducing structured challenges
- Bodrova & Leong 2007: “Studies confirm that adult scaffolding in play leads to greater cognitive and social development than unstructured activities alone”
- Fisher et al 2013: “Children taught shapes in the guided play condition showed improved shape knowledge compared to the other groups, an effect that was still evident after 1 week. Findings suggest that scaffolding techniques that heighten engagement, direct exploration, and facilitate ‘sense-making’, such as guided play, undergird shape learning”
- Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences: Guided activities like music, role-play, and movement tap into diverse intelligences, making learning accessible to all. Studies show that music-based guided play improves memory, coordination, and language skills, particularly for young learners
- Weisberg et al 2020: “We argue that guided play approaches are effective because they create learning situations that encourage children to become active and engaged partners in the learning process”
- SEND-focused research: Structured play interventions, such as music therapy or guided movement and activities, improve engagement and outcomes for children
These studies underscore the value of educators being flexible and blending guidance with play to optimise developmental outcomes across domains.
Benefits Of Creative Play, Blending Child-Led And Creative Guided Play
- Combining child-led play and creative guided play encourages inclusivity of all children with different needs and rates of development
- Alternate between child-led and creative guided activities to respect autonomy while providing support
- Introducing appropriate structured guidance enriches vocabulary, fosters problem-solving and supports cognitive development and emergent literacy
- Role-play and group activities nurture social-emotional growth, empathy, turn-taking, cooperation, friendships, and well-being
- Simulate real-life (e.g., visiting a shop or caring for a pet) and imaginary experiences (e.g., visiting the moon, back in time to meet the dinosaurs) to develop language and problem-solving skills. You can also introduce appropriate technology for life skills, for example, binoculars to search for dinosaurs and cameras to log your finds in a space adventure with aliens
- Movement-based play promotes fundamental movement skills needed for physical literacy, balance, and coordination
- Engage children with music and movement, songs, rhythm games, and movement activities to enhance motor, cognitive, and social skills
- Don’t forget to observe child-led play to inform the design of meaningful guided activities to enhance learning and invite everyone into the learning process
Conclusion: A Flexible And Balanced Path Forward For Creative Play
Guided creative play complements child-led exploration, ensuring a flexible and balanced approach that meets the diverse developmental needs of all children, including those with additional needs
- Structured group activities offer unique benefits by fostering collaboration, communication, and a sense of belonging. These activities encourage children to develop vital social skills, such as turn-taking, problem-solving, and empathy, while providing opportunities to work together towards shared goals
- By blending autonomy with thoughtful scaffolding, educators can create a rich environment where creativity, learning, and social-emotional growth thrive
- As an educator, flexibility is key! Adapting methods to support each child’s unique journey while fostering group cohesion and collective learning
- Blended child-led and guided play forms a harmonious blend that celebrates individual growth, strengthens bonds, and empowers children to reach their full potential
- By embracing this balanced approach, we can foster a dynamic learning environment where every child feels valued, supported, and inspired to explore
