Play isn’t a break from learning—it is learning. This session explores how playful, hands-on experiences can boost academic, social-emotional, and cognitive growth for students of all ages. Inspired by Purposeful Play and The Playful Classroom—and aligned with the NYSED Literacy Briefs—educators will discover how to make learning more joyful, rigorous, and meaningful.
In this session, participants will:
- Develop a playful mindset to bring more joy, creativity, and engagement into instruction
- Use structured play to support comprehension, collaboration, and critical thinking
- Balance different types of play to support literacy and curiosity across the curriculum
- Create classroom environments that support student voice, equity, and emotional growth
Participants will break into elementary and secondary groups to explore grade-specific strategies.
Elementary Focus:
Educators of kindergarten and first grade will dive into playful learning with LEGO® bricks. This hands-on segment will go beyond free play, showing how LEGO® can support reading, math, science, and social-emotional learning through intentional, purposeful activities.
Secondary Focus:
Middle and high school educators will explore how to embed play, creativity, and student choice into academic learning. From simulations and debates to design challenges and inquiry-based projects, participants will learn how playful approaches can enhance critical thinking, engagement, and real-world application in older learners—without sacrificing rigor.
Because learning doesn’t start after play—it starts through it.
