No surprise there’s a strong link between play and learning. As far as we know, every species that isn’t hard-wired with instinctual behavior engages in some forms of play. But who knows? Perhaps someday we’ll discover that ants play a subtle massive multiplayer game.
These findings come at a time when many experts are calling for more play for kids to mitigate the trauma children have experienced during the pandemic. Last year, a report by the LEGO Foundation that looked at 26 studies of play from 18 countries found play is so powerful it can reduce inequality and close achievement gaps between children ages 3 to 6. Those studies, which also looked at free play in addition to guided play, found children progressed in several domains of learning, including language and literacy, math and social-emotional skills.
Source: Kids can learn more from guided play than direct instruction, studies say
