Integrating Guided Play and Hands-On Learning: Insights and Application
Growing with Play
Guided Play in the Primary Years
Amy Schmidtke
From a baby’ s delight in shaking a rattle to a third grader’ s determination to perfect a bridge design, the essence of play is the same across the years. In early childhood education settings, play refers to experiences that engage children in meaningful learning that is done with joy and allows them to interact with one another( Zosh et al. 2018, 2022). Research shows play advances children’ s cognitive, social, and emotional growth( Zosh et al. 2018; Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2020). Although play is encouraged in the infant, toddler, and preschool years, once children enter elementary school, they tend to spend their days in teacher-led instruction( Bassok et al. 2016).
Play takes many forms and is viewed as a continuum( Miller & Almon 2009; Pyle & Danniels 2017). One form is guided play, which balances the agency, creativity, and joy of child-directed activity with purposeful teacher guidance( Weisberg et al. 2013, 2016; Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2022; Zosh et al. 2022). Guided play connects the experiences children need with the academic expectations they face in school, supporting rigorous, joyful
14 Young Children
Fall 2026