Play has tremendous developmental benefits. This course will help you find the learning in the play!
Play is more than just fun—it’s a powerful tool for learning and development. This course introduces early childhood educators to the principles and benefits of play-based learning, helping them recognize the deep educational value in everyday play. Whether at home or in a classroom, you’ll learn how play nurtures cognitive, social, and emotional growth.
Grounded in theory and practical application, the course explores both unstructured and guided play as essential components of early education. With real examples, resources, and playful activities included, this course makes it easy to see—and explain—why play matters.
3 activities • 3 videos • duration: 1h 9m
Professional Learning for Early Childhood Educators
Diane is a registered early childhood educator and has taught early childhood education at both the degree and the diploma level for the past 30 years. Diane’s doctoral thesis on emergent curriculum was published in 2009 and she has co-written three ECE textbooks including Outdoor and Nature Play in Early Childhood Education (2019). Diane is the past president of the Association for Early Childhood Educators of Ontario and the current chair of the York Region Nature Collaborative. Diane’s areas of interest include forest and nature schools, risky play, loose parts, Reggio inspired practice, outdoor play and emergent curriculum. Now retired from teaching, Diane writes a blog to support professional learning in early childhood education: http://tecribresearch.wordpress.com and loves to engage in continuous professional learning face to face and through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Diane presents workshops and keynote addresses in Ontario, across Canada and internationally.
Professional development requirements vary by profession, country, and regulatory body. Before enrolling, review the course details and confirm that the content, learning format, and any listed credits meet your specific requirements. You are responsible for confirming eligibility with your regulator or professional association and keeping the records required for reporting.
It was informative.
This was an amazing course in explaining Play-Based Learning in such a practical and tangible way. The references, resources, and quotes were so helpful in grasping the concept of Play-Based Learning and how to incorporate when interacting with children. Thank you.
I would like this course not to be online, the topic is really good and we have so much to put in every day, thank you again.
I love that you were still able to provide us with hands on play, even in quarantine! I didn't have a cotton ball but I found a pom-pon! We forget as adults how to play sometimes, or perhaps feel silly. It's good practice to play, it gets those creative juices flowing! I would love to learn more about how to engage those children who always seem to be on the fringes. The ones that appear to shy away from groups, and challenges. Learning strategies to draw them in while ensuring they are somewhat comfortable with the process. Thank you so much!
