Embrace play to improve learning outcomes

This year’s International Day of Play theme is, “Play for All: Inclusivity, Creativity, and Joy.” This theme emphasises the need for inclusive play opportunities that cater to children of all backgrounds and abilities, fostering creativity and joy in every child. It is a call to action unto us to think outside the box and use play to foster inclusive learning.

A report by Lancet in 2016, postulated that the process of brain development is largely affected by adequate attention being given to a child’s health, providing them with adequate nutrition, protecting them from harm and stressful environments, providing them with enough stimulation through play and giving adequate early learning opportunities.

This, therefore, means that a child’s brain, cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development is largely contingent on how many opportunities they are given to play.

Play has in essence become a way of education and human development hence the emergency of Learning through Play (LtP) as a learning pedagogy. It is imperative to recognise and celebrate the profound impact that play has on children’s lives. Play is the language of childhood. It is through play that children explore their world, express their emotions, and develop critical life skills.

Numerous studies have shown that play-based learning leads to improved academic and developmental outcomes. For instance, research indicates that children who engage in regular play perform better in cognitive tasks and demonstrate higher levels of creativity and social skills compared to those with limited play opportunities.

Since 2020, a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee, including Plan International, War Child Holland, the Behavioural Insights Team, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in partnership with the LEGO Foundation and Ministry of Education and Sports has been implementing the PlayMatters project in 10 Refugee Hosting Districts in Uganda as well as supporting co-creation of Learning through Play (LtP) teaching and learning content for use in Ugandan schools.

The PlayMatters project is an initiative that aims to bring Learning through Play (LtP) to 800,000 refugee and host community children aged between 3 and 12+ across Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. This initiative has the ambitious yet achievable goal of reimagining learning to provide quality education to vulnerable children experiencing highly challenging contexts and attending low quality education services.

PlayMatters acknowledges that inclusive play is about creating environments where all children, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, can participate. It means designing playgrounds, classrooms, home spaces that accommodate children with disabilities and encouraging diversity in play settings. Inclusivity in play fosters empathy, understanding, and respect among children, which are fundamental in laying the foundation for a more equitable society.

Communities play a pivotal role in promoting play. We, therefore, call upon local governments, schools, and organisations to prioritise creating and maintaining safe, accessible, and engaging play spaces. Policies should be implemented to protect time for unstructured play during and after school hours.

There is need to engage parents and caregivers to recognise the value of play and encourage their children to engage in a variety of playful activities. One of the PlayMatters core packages targets parents to enable them support their children in using play to learn and develop.

The donor community especially the Education Development Partners (EDPs) can support system strengthening at local and central government levels for integration of play-based learning as well as provide resources for implementation of projects on play and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

Policy makers in different government ministries, departments and agencies play a crucial role in creating a world where play is valued and accessible to every child. They craft policies that protect and promote play, invest in safe and inclusive play spaces, and educate our communities about the importance of play in child development.

Policies like the National Integrated Early Childhood Development policy, ECCE policy are among the key policy documents that show Government of Uganda’s commitment to promoting play-based learning in Uganda.

Ms Hadijah Nandyose, Senior Project Coordinator for the PlayMatters project in Uganda.

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