{"title":"Guided Play in the Kindergarten Classroom: One Teacher’s Inquiry into Scaffolding Play-Based Writing Instruction","authors":"Andrea Sanchez","doi":"10.1007/s10643-025-01931-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research abounds regarding the need for young children’s access to authentic play experiences. Yet, while play is considered the main method of learning for young children, mainstream curricula often omit this mode and further perpetuate the artificial divide of play or learning. Guided play is a pedagogical approach in which teachers integrate a balance of child-led exploration alongside intentional scaffolding and targeted guidance. This method allows educators to support children’s agency while facilitating their play towards specific learning outcomes. However, along with challenges related to limited time and support, teachers face a lack of clear guidance on how to implement guided play in their classrooms and scaffold children’s learning within these environments. Supported by current research, this paper provides methods for incorporating writing instruction through guided play in four kindergarten classroom spaces. Materials and scaffolding strategies are discussed, along with a brief list of resources for each learning area. Finally, this paper concludes with recommendations for teachers who are beginning to incorporate guided play into their early years kindergarten classrooms.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Early Childhood Education Journal","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01931-w","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Research abounds regarding the need for young children’s access to authentic play experiences. Yet, while play is considered the main method of learning for young children, mainstream curricula often omit this mode and further perpetuate the artificial divide of play or learning. Guided play is a pedagogical approach in which teachers integrate a balance of child-led exploration alongside intentional scaffolding and targeted guidance. This method allows educators to support children’s agency while facilitating their play towards specific learning outcomes. However, along with challenges related to limited time and support, teachers face a lack of clear guidance on how to implement guided play in their classrooms and scaffold children’s learning within these environments. Supported by current research, this paper provides methods for incorporating writing instruction through guided play in four kindergarten classroom spaces. Materials and scaffolding strategies are discussed, along with a brief list of resources for each learning area. Finally, this paper concludes with recommendations for teachers who are beginning to incorporate guided play into their early years kindergarten classrooms.
期刊介绍:
Early Childhood Education Journal is a professional publication of original peer-reviewed articles that reflect exemplary practices in the field of contemporary early childhood education. Articles cover the social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development of children age birth through 8, analyzing issues, trends, and practices from an educational perspective. The journal publishes feature-length articles that skillfully blend 1) theory, research, and practice, 2) descriptions of outstanding early childhood programs worldwide, and 3) quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research. Early Childhood Education Journal is of interest not only to classroom teachers, child care providers, college and university faculty, and administrators, but also to other professionals in psychology, health care, family relations, and social services dedicated to the care of young children.
Areas of Emphasis:
International studies;
Educational programs in diverse settings;
Early learning across multiple domains;
Projects demonstrating inter-professional collaboration;
Qualitative and quantitative research and case studies;
Best practices in early childhood teacher education;
Theory, research, and practice relating to professional development;
Family, school, and community relationships;
Investigations related to curriculum and instruction;
Articles that link theory and best practices;
Reviews of research with well-articulated connections to the field