Play-based learning has emerged as a powerful tool for addressing this need, providing children with the opportunity to learn through exploration, creativity, and social interaction. While this can manifest as building playgrounds from upcycled materials or training older children to deliver playful lessons, there are countless ways to use play to empower learners.
Play-Based Learning Is Effective
There is growing evidence to support the efficacy of play-based learning. “Research shows that lack of playfulness and joyfulness in childhood ecosystems, disrupts developmental milestones for children and risks maladjusted adulthood,” says Opentree Foundation’s Trupti Abhyankar. Studies likewise have shown that can lead to a wide range of benefits for children, including:
- Improved cognitive development
- Enhanced social-emotional skills
- Increased motivation and engagement in learning
- Greater creativity and problem-solving abilities
- Meeting diverse learner needs
Adapting to the Context
The key to successful play-based learning is ensuring that it is adapted to the specific needs of the children and communities it serves. This requires careful consideration of cultural relevance, developmental appropriateness, and accessibility. Lively Minds' programme is implemented through and by government systems in in Ghana and Uganda. It trains mothers to run free educational Play Schemes and provide them with ongoing support through parenting workshops and radio programs, also targeting fathers. The content is delivered in local languages and addresses topics such as nutrition, language development, and self-esteem. This approach empowers parents to become early childhood experts and activley contribute to their children's development. It also makes sure that the program is culturally relevant and sustainable with context appropriate content. The program has been proven to significantly improve children's cognitive development - by the equivalent of an extra year of school - to improve socio-emotional skills and to reduce malnutrition.
Opentree Foundation's games are structured to target specific foundational skills
Lively Minds’ Tindana Kubilla points to building parents’ skills and motivation in the long run as crucial for the programme’s success. “At the advanced stage of the programme,” he says, “the experienced mothers act as peer trainers for the newly enrolled ones. This boosts their confidence in dealing with problems they may encounter in running the Play Schemes.” One HundrED Academy member said of Lively Minds: "By leveraging parents as agents of change and operating through existing government systems, it effectively addresses gaps in early childhood development. The program's proven positive outcomes for children, parents, and trainers."
Similarly, the Opentree Foundation in India uses a "Conscious Play" approach to build critical life skills in at-risk children in their innovation, Using Play to Better the World. Their programs are designed to be engaging and developmentally appropriate, using a combination of structured activities and free play. The Opentree Foundation also provides training for teachers and caretakers to help them integrate play-based learning into their classrooms and care settings, with an eye to implementing broader systems change. “We want to ensure that playfulness and joy guide the design and implementation of the powerful practices we use in ECE and ensure that play forms an integral part of policy design, pedagogical practices, and society at large,” Trupti says.
In India, this is especially pressing, with its young population, many of whom lack access to education that focuses on critical life skills and lack access to play opportunities. While Opentree acknowledges the importance of free play, they first seek to help kids learn how to play, with structured play materials and activities that are backed by research to target key life skills. These lead to self-directed exploration opportunities and are guided by trained play facilitators who make sure children feel comfortable taking risks, exploring their creativity, and learning through their experiences.
Play Can Be Used to Address Serious Issues
While play is often associated with fun, it can also be used to address serious issues such as mental health and climate change. Grassroot Soccer's MindSKILLZ program uses sport-based metaphors and activities to engage young people in conversations about mental health, breaking the stigma associated with seeking help. The program has been shown to improve mental well-being and coping skills among adolescents. According to one HundrED Academy member, "Children love sports, and they readily engage in sports activities. Using Sports as a base to educate students about important issues related to health is a simple but effective approach. Grassroot Soccer: MindSKILLZ gives children a sense of community, where they can feel safe."
MindSKILLZ uses sport as an entry point for developing crucial SEL skills
MindSKILLZ's sports-based approach helps young people become leaders and role models within their schools and communities, with processes to ensure that they have the supports they need to be so-called SKILLZ Coaches. Coaches use personal stories, facilitate discussions, and create spaces for the younger participants to open up about their challenges. By empowering community members in this way, it ensures that the programme remains adaptable to local contexts and scalable to more regions.
Anthill Creations, based in India, builds upcycled playgrounds using scrap tires, metal drums, and locally available materials. Anthill Creations' playgrounds are designed to enable holistic development for underprivileged children, and have been directly attributed to greater classroom performance, improved attendance rates, and reduced violent behavior. Additionally, they are addressing two major challenges in the country: a lack of safe play spaces for some 200 million children and a massive tire waste problem (around 275 tonnes discarded daily, with only 7% properly recycled).
Anthill's playgrounds use recycled materials to create innovative, open-ended play structures for whole communities
The resulting spaces reflect some of the best practices of play-based education, targeting free play, divergent thinking and social interaction. They team at Anthill also provide training for teachers on how to encourage this kind of play and invite community members into the space, some of whom may be outside of the formal education system.
Meanwhile, Parters in Learning, an innovation by Cities for Children, seeks to use play to help students stay in school. They set up partnerships where Big Partners, older children, are trained to facilitate learning sessions for younger Little Partners, spiced up with play based activities. Play is used to build connections, keep students engaged, and provide a structure for the lessons while building skills for literacy, numeracy and SEL.
But beyond this, play allows the partners big and small to overcome obstacles in language, attitudes towards school and cultural mores of students who come from backgrounds diverse backgrounds - including displaced children from Syria and Ukraine. From tactile, hands-on activities like making butterfly masks (exploring insect life cycles) or creating bead bracelets (practising counting and fine motor skills) to narrative play (building out oral skills) help bridge the gaps between students and form an internal culture that gives space for all children to thrive.
The Importance of Partnerships
Many of the most successful play-based learning programs rely on strong partnerships between organisations, communities, and governments. Lively Minds, for example, works closely with government agencies to implement its program through existing educational systems. The Opentree Foundation partners with non-profits and government schools to expand its reach and impact. Anthill Creations collaborates with communities to build upcycled playgrounds using locally sourced materials and labor. These partnerships are essential for ensuring that play-based learning programs are sustainable, scalable, and responsive to local needs.
With Partners in Learning, older students are empowered to play - and learn- alongside younger ones
Play is more than just a pastime. It is a powerful tool for learning, development, and social change. By embracing play-based approaches, we can empower children to become active, engaged, and resilient learners who are prepared to thrive in the 21st century. From building playgrounds to tackling global challenges, play has the potential to transform education and create a better world for all.
Get to know the innovations the 2025 Global Collection
