If you’re looking at early childhood education in Perth for your little one, “play-based learning” is a term you’ll see often. You might be wondering what it is, and whether it’s a pro or a con for the early learning centre.
There are many proven benefits of play-based learning. It’s even embedded in national early learning strategies. Here’s what you need to know, including tips to reinforce play-based learning benefits at home.
What is Play-Based Learning?
Play is the way your children make sense of their world. It’s the primary way they learn, and how they test ideas when they’re unsure. Play-based learning builds on this natural drive.
Activities that feel like play to us adults are incredibly enriching for young children.
- Block play: Stacking towers, designing bridges, or sorting shapes builds problem-solving, spatial awareness, and pre-literacy skills.
- Pretend play: Running a “shop” or cooking in a toy kitchen develops imagination, empathy, and social skills.
- Nature play: Collecting different leaves, climbing logs, or digging in the garden connects children to the environment while strengthening physical coordination.
- Water play: Pouring, filling, dunking, and floating objects introduces scientific thinking and early maths concepts like volume and measurement.
- Art and sensory play: Finger painting, clay modelling, or exploring textures encourages creativity, fine motor skills, and self-expression.
- Music and movement: Dancing, drumming, and singing build rhythm and coordination, as well as early literacy through sound and rhyme.
- Small world play: Using figurines, cars, or animal models to create stories supports language, storytelling, and symbolic thinking.
- Loose parts play: Using natural and recycled materials such as sticks, shells, and boxes encourages open-ended exploration, engineering, and creativity.
Each activity is enjoyable, but also rich with learning. Your child leads their own discoveries while educators guide and extend them through thoughtful questions, new materials, and shared reflection.
Play-Based Learning vs Traditional Teaching
Traditional teaching relies on direct instruction and repetition. Play-based learning takes a different approach. Children learn by exploring, supported by educators who guide rather than direct.
This child-led model increases motivation and reduces stress. A child who chooses to build a tower is more engaged in counting the blocks than if asked to complete a worksheet.
Why Play-Based Learning Matters
Play gives your child the chance to make choices, solve problems, and take the lead in their learning. It also strengthens emotional security, develops critical thinking, rewards curiosity, and lays strong foundations for school.
For these reasons, Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF v2.0) and National Quality Framework (NQF) both emphasise play-based learning in early education.
Curiosity about the natural world is also important. Climbing, digging, balancing, discovering, and inventing games encourage your child to connect with nature, building well-being and a sense of place.
Key Play-Based Learning Benefits
Cognitive Development and Problem-Solving
Children test ideas when they play. An infant discovering new textures is learning about their world. A toddler stacking blocks is learning about balance and gravity. A preschooler mixing water and sand is experimenting with cause and effect.
These playful challenges strengthen problem-solving, critical thinking, and memory. They also support early maths and science concepts, laying the groundwork for STEM learning.
Social and Emotional Growth
Play-based learning benefits children by teaching them important life skills like sharing, taking turns, and negotiating. When children role-play, they learn how to see the world from another perspective. They also develop emotional regulation.
Pretend play offers safe ways to explore feelings like fear, excitement, or frustration, with educators close by to guide reflection.
Creativity and Imagination
Imaginative play encourages children to invent and create. A cardboard box can be a rocket ship, a shop, or a new invention. These moments build flexible thinking and resourcefulness.
Creativity is not only about artistic ability. It’s a cognitive skill that helps children solve problems and adapt to new situations throughout life.
Language and Communication Skills
Play is full of conversation. Whether exploring a garden together, telling stories with puppets, or making rules for a game, your child’s vocabulary and communication skills benefit from play-based learning.
As educators, we extend these moments by asking open questions, introducing new words, and encouraging storytelling. These interactions support literacy long before your child begins formal reading and writing.
Physical Development
Climbing, running, digging, balancing, building, threading beads – play-based learning benefits both gross and fine motor skills in many ways.
Outdoor play is especially valuable for Perth children, encouraging healthy habits and active bodies. These skills are essential for school readiness and lifelong wellbeing.
The Educator’s Role in Play-Based Environments
Early childhood educators are central to effective play-based learning. The EYLF v2.0 describes this as intentional teaching. As educators, we intentionally extend your child’s explorative play without taking control. We tune in to their interests, ask thought-provoking questions, and provide new materials.
For example:
- When your child is playing “shop”, we might add paper and pencils for writing shopping lists, or find new items to categorise.
- When they build towers, we may ask, “How can we make it stronger?” to encourage problem-solving.
- We might place different-sized cups in a water tray to spark early maths language such as “full”, “empty”, and “more than”.
Through this balance of freedom and guidance, our educators connect play to learning outcomes while ensuring your child has agency and independence.
Bringing Play-Based Learning Benefits Into Your Home to Support Your Child’s Learning Journey
Building Readiness for School
Parents often ask if play-based learning prepares children for school. The answer is yes. Play builds focus, persistence, and cooperation, which are all essential for classroom life.
Pre-literacy and pre-numeracy are also woven through play, such as reading labels on “shop” items or counting blocks in a tower.
Recognising Play as Real Learning
Look for opportunities to guide play towards learning.
A child experimenting with pouring water is learning about measurement. A child testing which stick floats down a stream is learning about density and prediction. Two children negotiating roles in a game are learning about fairness and leadership.
These lessons are more memorable than rote learning, and more interesting for you and your child.
Tracking Growth and Progress
Our educators monitor your child’s development through observations, learning stories, and portfolios aligned with the EYLF. You will receive updates with photos and insights about your child’s growth. This helps you celebrate little milestones at home, and create activities you know your child will find engaging.
Choosing the Best Early Learning Centre in Perth
When looking for an early childhood education provider, here are a few key questions you can ask:
- Does the centre follow the EYLF and NQF standards?
- Are educators qualified and experienced in guiding play-based learning?
- How will I receive progress updates?
- Is there a balance of indoor, outdoor, and nature play?
- How are my child’s culture and voice valued in daily activities?
A quality centre will highlight both the joy of learning through play and the intentional teaching that underpins it.
Balancing Freedom and Structure
Quality centres combine free play with guided learning. At Teddington Bears, children enjoy long stretches of uninterrupted play, balanced with intentional group experiences like story time, music, or nature walks. This rhythm creates security while supporting diverse learning styles.
Honouring Each Child’s Background
Play is also a way to express culture and identity. We intentionally weave culture and inclusion into our early childhood education programs through stories, songs, and traditions. This creates inclusive, welcoming spaces where every child feels seen and respected.
Book a tour of our Burswood childcare centre today and see how play-based learning benefits your child’s journey.[Book a Tour]
