Early Years

Free-flow play in P1-P3 - Caldercuilt Primary School

Caldercuilt Primary followed programmes of play based on free-flow play and contextualised learning with P1-P3 classes (aged 4 to 8).

Introduction

A focus group, comprising nursery and primary infant teachers from the local learning community, met to look at the topic of play. A representative from Glasgow’s Education Improvement Service presented on research, principles and good practice in play and the 3-5 Curriculum.

Further reading and research on work by Tina Bruce and Lev Vygotsky led to the formation of a working party at Caldercuilt Primary to look at how to develop play to encourage learning. The working party focused on free-flow play as research showed that this type of play was, ‘the means by which children integrate and apply their own learning’ (Bruce, 'Time to Play in Early Childhood Education' p43).

Project aims

  • To develop free-flow play across the curriculum for P1-P3
  • To further develop contextualised learning opportunities for P1-P7.
Children pretend one child is ill while others tend the patient

Research showed that free-flow play was 'the means by which children integrate and apply their own learning'.

Updated on: 21 April 2008 The LTS Online Service is funded by the Scottish Government.