About

"We believe play is a foundational human need and an indispensable part of hands-on learning. Play in Education exists to equip and encourage teachers to fully engage the minds of their students by leveraging the power of play. We hope this website and this newsletter become that hand or that hug when you need it."

Our Play in Education Editor is Kim Chapman. Kim would like you to know, "I am an EdTech product designer. Before entering the EdTech field, I taught special education for Chicago Public Schools (on the West Side and South Side of Chicago) for eight years; I also provided professional development on designing hands-on learning activities and designing for inclusion. After leaving the classroom, I received my Master's in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University: where my research and design focus was tangible technology and multi-sensory learning. My greatest passion is designing technology/tools that are interactive, engaging, and promote inclusion of individuals with disabilities."

Our Play in Education Publisher is Mary Couzin. She isthe founder of Play in Education and CEO and Founder of the Toy and Game Group which hosts the Chicago Toy and Game Fair held every year at the Navy Pier in Chicago. The event is the largest toy and game fair in North America and is the capstone of CHITAG Week, which also includes Inventor Conferences, the Toy and Game Inventor Expo Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge and more. She is also the founder of the Chicago Toy & Game Foundation, a non-profit, philanthropic foundation promoting play and supporting children’s organizations. Her most recent initiative is People of Play - the largest platform of playful people in the world! www.peopleofplay.com

Research

In this study, researchers found that playing board games twice a week increased the brain speed scores of elementary students by a staggering 27 – 32%! As an educator, those numbers are tough to discount.

Two studies in the journal Cognition (one from MIT and the other from UC-Berkeley) indicate that in some situations, direct teaching is inferior to experiential learning. Children who play develop a stronger sense of creativity and inquisitiveness. Here’s the Slate article which cites those studies.

Play isn’t just for elementary school, either. Take a moment to watch this TED Talks presentation, where Dr. Stuart Brown does a great job of showing us that play is for all ages.