Enhancing teacher-child engagement and promoting early learning with playful learning landscapes

Abstract

High-quality adult-child interactions in early childcare education (ECE) can be catalysts of early learning and development. Yet, there is variability in the quality of ECE programming in the United States. The Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) initiative is designed to promote interactions and discourse through culturally responsive playful activities. The present study represents the first application of PLL in an early childcare setting. Educators and center directors from six ECE centers co-designed playful learning activities targeting STEM skills and literacy skills. Results suggest that PLL facilitated engagement and language that supports early learning. Naturalistic observations of teacher-child interactions showed that PLL facilitated greater use of STEM and literacy language. Moreover, following installation, children attending a Literacy-PLL center scored higher on a vocabulary assessment than children attending a STEM-PLL center. The present study adds to a growing body of research documenting the benefits of PLL.