3 Playful Learning Activities to try this weekend!
Many times I’m faced with the question “What is Playful Learning?”
Before we look at the activities I would consider as ‘Playful Learning’ in nature, here is a quick distinction on where exactly these activities sit.
On one end there is play - largely unstructured, it may be mildly supervised, mostly flexible, fluid, and no strings attached. Kindergarten, Montessori etc. Eg: Making a paper plane.
On the other end, we have ‘Learning’ - in the traditional sense. Very structured, extremely supervised, rigid, and lots of strings attached. Eg: Learning aerodynamics equations/PVT equations etc.
In between, there’s the beautiful space of Playful Learning. It sustains curiosity, allows for tinkering and exploration, and lights up your imagination. Eg: Making Paper Planes with different materials, experimenting with the size and weight of different parts, launching the paper plane with different methods.
Now when you explore the following activities. Explore it from the lens of playful learning. There is no ‘Finished project’. Experiment with materials, dimensions, methods of building, colors and so much more!
Minecraft: This is a popular game where you can build anything you imagine with blocks of different types. In this tutorial like many available on the internet, you can learn how to build a super intricate, wooden house. Remember that you can experiment and make it as easy or as hard as you want the house to be. https://www.instructables.com/how-to-make-a-Minecraft-house-1/
Check out the ugly house I designed. You can play it for free here - https://classic.minecraft.net/
Camphor Boats: This is an interesting exploration of surface tension. Highly highly recommend. It takes many attempts to get right. But once you do, you can do so much!
Paper Helicopter: With just a strip of paper you can create an interesting paper helicopter. Explore what happens when you do it from a height, with different types of paper, have a paper helicopter competition at home!
Try them out and let me know if you enjoyed it! Remember the goal is not to have a ‘Finished Project’ - it is to experiment and see how to toy around with different objects and materials and gain a deeper understanding of the world around you.
Have a playful weekend!
Prasanth