This month’s Teach by Design article introduced the continuum of play and how to embed play-based learning in your classrooms. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at one specific type of play on the continuum. Today, we’re talking about free play.

Free play is that dedicated time in the day where your students get to move and explore in unstructured space free of any adult interference. In schools, most of us call it recess! Our students love it, and yet there never seems to be enough time dedicated to it. But what if we made more time for it? What are the benefits? How would it work logistically with the bell schedule? Most of this relates to early childhood and elementary school, but what could it look like in middle and high school?

In this episode, we’re talking about it all with Dr. Michelle Bauml and Nellie Huggins.

Michelle is a Professor of Education and an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Texas Christian University (TCU). She is also a Play Consultant as part of the Let’s Inspire Innovation ‘N Kids (Liink) Project’s Research Team. The Liink Project is an organization dedicated to increasing student access to unstructured, outdoor recess time as a way of improving social, emotional, behavioral, and academic achievement in schools.

Nellie is a veteran in the field of early childhood education and an advocate for young children and their families. She has spent the last 22 years working in every early childhood setting and role possible – from infant care to preschool teacher, to preschool owner and director. Currently, she’s the Parent Outreach Coordinator for Early Childhood CARES at the University of Oregon – an organization providing early intervention and early childhood special education to infants, toddlers, and preschool age children in Lane County.

For more information on the resources shared in this episode, check out these links.

• The Liink Project homepage
• Early Childhood CARES homepage
• Time to Play: Recognizing the Benefits of Recess: The research findings around the percent of students who have dedicated time for recess in their day.
• Super Fun Transitions by Shawn Brown: An album of transition songs to use in early education settings as kids move from one activity to another.