Kindergarten teachers outline play-based Active Playful Learning approach for full-day kindergarten

Ricky Robinson (Kindergarten teacher, Chadds Ford Elementary) and Valerie Stepke (Kindergarten teacher, Hillandale Elementary) described how the district’s full-day kindergarten program will use Active Playful Learning, a research-informed approach developed in part from the work of Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.

Robinson and Stepke told the Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Committee that the Active Playful Learning framework prioritizes meaningful, hands-on play experiences that teachers can connect to academic lessons in ELA and math, and that the full-day schedule will provide more time to integrate outdoor learning and extended play. Robinson said play activities will be used to support lessons (for example, predicting which snow items melt faster, using outdoor materials to explore geometry or creating 10-frame manipulatives), and that teachers will balance small-group direct instruction with larger unstructured or semi-structured play opportunities.

Presenters said expected outcomes include stronger collaboration and communication skills, increased critical thinking and creativity, deeper content connections, and improved confidence and engagement. The teachers described how play will appear across the schedule (small-group work, centers, outdoor exploration and unstructured recess) and noted the importance of parental and community connections to enrich experiences.

Committee members praised the approach and raised the broader idea that an APL (Active Playful Learning) framework could “trickle up” into older grades as teachers adapt play-informed practices elsewhere in elementary school. No final board action was taken at the CIT meeting; the presentation was informational and intended to share classroom-level details as the district plans full-day kindergarten operations.