Global Play Morning is designed to enhance the importance of play in learning and for our well-being. Play allows our learners to naturally communicate, problem solve and be risk-takers in a safe environment.
Play has often been seen as something that has no part to play in schools, but recent research confirms it is a highly effective way to learn and, beyond that, is essential for the holistic development of learners. Play does not belong only to the early years but to us all; play affords us the opportunity to develop our imagination, create, hypothesize and test our theories.
The morning of September 5th was set aside for EY1 to P5 to play and naturally engage with many of our Learner Profile attributes and some of our Approaches to Learning skills. We knew the weather may not be kind to us and our field is currently not available, so a half day was all that was planned but do not fear as on February 1st, 2023, we plan to have our learners engage in the Global School Play Day.
Early Years
Global Play Day allowed our learners to explore the environment and play without restrain while following their interests and extending their own learning and knowledge. While the learners played in the EY garden enthusiastically, they were encouraged to be creative in their thinking and play, strengthen their social skills by collaborating, sharing, taking turns, leading and following. This experience also helped them connect with the other EY learners and nature. The learners were given agency to choose activities that are meaningful and relevant to them, driven by their interests. Stations for construction, painting, water play, iced tea making, weaving and barbeque were set up to support their agency and to extend their learning. Tents were put up and a variety of loose parts were provided for them to harness their creativity, thinking and problem-solving skills. Global Play Day was a good opportunity in promoting inquiry and giving the learners ownership of their learning.
P1: Our learners were asked to bring one of their favourite toys. The excitement of the children was countless. Children had a fun time playing with their toys. They are slowly experiencing the joy of sharing with their friends. This was a great opportunity for learners to develop their self-management and social skills especially self-regulation and conflict resolution
P2 Our innovators created some wonderful Lego models, built tall towers, role played running their very own P2 café and experienced sheer joy through play and play conversations. We could see the learners sharing, waiting on turns, and problem solving but most of all we noticed high well-being and involvement and that made all the difference.
P3 Our P3 learners celebrated Global Play Day by engaging in music and movement, running games and numerous strategy board games such as Othello, Hangman, Uno and Snakes and Ladders. In teams, they showcased their critical thinking skills while engaging in the Roll-a-Dice Place Value Game.
P4: Play improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children. Hence, P4 learners had the agency to choose from a variety of stimulating games and activities to help them develop social, communication and critical thinking skills. A few learners discovered their passion for completing a challenging 250-piece puzzle and felt very confident in their skills.
Other artists utilized their artistic skills to connect with the current UOI theme. They were inspired by the approach of the Russian painter ‘Wassily Kandinsky”, and they listened to music and expressed their feelings through their artwork.
P5: Approaches to teaching 4.2: Students collaborate with teachers and peers to plan, demonstrate, and assess their own learning. (0403-04-0200)
In accordance with IB Standards and practices, specifically the Approach to Teaching 4.2, the P5 learners exercised agency and helped the teachers plan for Global Play Day. Filling out a Microsoft Form on Thursday, 1st September helped them co-construct the choices of engagements for Monday, 5th September. Their voices were heard and translated into a choice board with the help of the Homeroom Team.
Throughout the course of the morning, from 8:00 to 11:30, the P5 learners were engaged with social, creative, and stimulating activities that helped them develop their self-management skills.
The success of the Global Play Day was evident in the happy faces and the cheerfulness exhibited by all the learners. Hooray for play!
Outdoor play was another featured session for all our grade levels and this play addresses the development of gross motor skills along with many others such as communication, risk-taking, and problem solving. Our active learners know that physical activity and play are part and parcel of being balanced learners and essential to our well-being.
At MIS, one of the pillars of our Mission, “Inspire learning,” outlines an approach to learning that includes play, inquiry and reflection; furthermore, learning at MIS is considered a joyful process. In fact, the PYP recognizes that play is inquiry. As our teachers have illustrated, it is clear how much our students experienced throughout this important morning as they joyfully learned through play.
Co-authored by The Primary Team.
Work Cited
International Baccalaureate Organization. “PYP: From Principles into Practice.” Sso.ibo.org, International Baccalaureate Organization, Oct. 2019, resources.ibo.org/pyp. Accessed 14 Sept. 2021.
Mahindra International School. “Vision and Mission.” Mahindra International School, 2020, misp.org/discover/vision-and-mission/. Accessed 26 July 2022.
“Programme Standards and Practices – Cross-Programme Resources – Home – IB Programme Resources.” Ibo.org, 2022, resources.ibo.org/permalink/11162-51685?lang=en&root=1.6.2.10.5.
