From Suzanne Axelsson
Teacher tips for autonomous play
- Ask questions and reflect on what is already happening
- Dig deep into personal bias
- Have a vision of the kind of play you want children to be able to access
- Create strategies so that vision is reached
- Be flexible – maybe visions and strategies need adjusting
Children have the right to play. I think this is something we can all agree on. How children can access this right in the early years is dependent on the adults that work there, much more than the resources that are available. Our adult attitude is key.
Overcoming fears.
Awareness of bias.
Understanding play.
We also need an attitude of curiosity and kindness when it comes to how we observe and respond to the children’s play. As part of the Original Learning Approach* I advocate that we take on three roles – that of teacher, facilitator and playworker.
Play occurs in the child-led space where the adult takes on the role of playworker, the other two roles, facilitator and teacher can be playful, and should be playful, but the inherent adult agenda means that they are not actual play. This does not mean they don’t have the potential for play, or that children find pockets of play within the lessons or facilitated time, what I am suggesting is that when we notice the children moving into autonomous learning (which young children do in the language of play) then we move into our playworker role and put our pedagogical agendas aside as we trust the play flow will benefit the children and foster a love for life-long learning.
Playwork* originates from the UK and is an approach to working with children that aims to support and facilitate the play process – a playworker is the title given to those working with this approach. In essence, playworkers remove barriers to the flow of children’s play and ensure the environment is rich for play potential. Playworkers also have eight playwork principles, of which the fourth principle is about the play taking precedence over adult agendas. Within an early years setting this would imply that when we are in the role of playworker we do not interrupt with adult or pedagogical agendas but trust that the play flow is providing children with what they need. Playwork is not a free-for-all for the children, even though children often feel this as full freedom – and this is the whole point of playwork to provide a space where children feel free. Safety is always paramount. But to avoid interfering with a functioning play flow we must always check if this is our own fear or whether this is a real hazard for the children. All hazards need to be dealt with – either through stopping the play or intervening with alternatives.
William Haddon Jr has a series of ten strategies that can be useful in our line of work to ensure that we are as safe as necessary without compromising the adventure or children’s autonomy. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency suggests that schools, preschools and society at large use these strategies to avoid unnecessary and serious injuries and to keep children safe. (https://rib.msb.se/filer/pdf/26005.pdf)
For example, if a child had climbed a tree and fallen, instead of a blanket ban on tree climbing, or worse an automatic chopping down of the tree (that sadly all too often happens) we could take a look at the ten strategies and choose what would fit the bill of safe play autonomy.
Eliminate, for example, sawing down the climbing tree.
Separate, for example, only allow children who are older, or a certain height, or have passed a climbing test, to climb the tree.
Isolate, for example, put up a fence around the tree to prevent climbing.
Modify, for example, laying a better surface that cushions falls (I have seen this in action where wood chips were placed around a favourite climbing tree), or building a platform around the tree to reduce the height, or saw off the lower branches so they can’t climb.
Equipping, for example, provides harnesses when climbing the tree similar to climbing walls. Or providing crash mats that can be brought to the tree when they want to climb.
Train and instruct, for example, helping children learn how to climb trees safely.
Warn, for example, sharing the story of the accident so children know they need to be vigilant.
Supervise, for example, the tree can only be climbed when there is an adult nearby and gives permission.
Save, for example, first aid training for teachers so that if it happens again teachers know what to do.
Mitigate and restore, such as emergency plans. So teachers know what to do when accidents happen.
It might be that several of these options are used to ensure that children can still climb trees. There might be times when eliminating is the right option, but it should not be the default, and there should always be adequate reflection as to how to support autonomous play and not simply discussions about how to make everything as safe as possible.
When we are in the playworker role we trust the play. This does not mean that we are playworkers the whole time we are working in early childhood education. As a play responsive educator* much of my teaching was connected to supporting children to develop the skills they need for autonomous play. For me this connects to democracy, and both my roles as teacher and facilitator was about scaffolding a culture of democracy in my teaching as well as the play.
Democratic autonomous play requires that I scaffold the following
- Care and compassion. Taking care of yourself and others
- Freedom. Enjoying your rights and privileges without negatively impacting the rights of others.
- Respect. Treating others with consideration/respecting another’s perspective.
- Responsibility. Taking responsibility for your own actions. Rights always come with responsibilities.
- Understanding, acceptance and inclusion. Being aware of others and their cultures, accepting diversity within a democratic society, to be included and including.
- Influence. To be listened to and to listen to others
- Participation. Everyone has the right to participate in their own way.
- Belonging. Creating an atmosphere where everyone can feel a sense of belonging
Learning the skills to be democratic will also create safe autonomous play as there is a need to take responsibility for physical, social, cognitive and emotional safety not only for ourselves but also our peers and ultimately everyone we meet. Autonomous play is not just about letting children do whatever they want, it is entangled with our ability to interact with others, problem solve, express our opinions with respect, have an awareness of our own ability and the courage to test our limits. When I talk and write about autonomy I am writing about a form of collective autonomy – where being able to be truly ourselves is dependent on a sense of belonging and acceptance in the group.
Play is the safest space to test our limits. Children rarely go beyond their own personal capacity in a setting that has been well designed for play. I use the example of a cathedral to explain what I mean with this. I was born in York in England which happens to have the largest cathedral north of the Alps and it was always a place of wonder for me as a young child, it was also overwhelming then. As educators of very young children we do not give one and two year olds free range of the whole cathedral – it would be dangerous as there are many elements that require skills beyond what they can manage or have experienced. It is better to provide a room for them where they can be autonomous in their play and not require constant adult management in order to be safe.
I don’t manage children, or play or behaviour, instead I develop strategies for children to evolve at their own pace, for the play to flow and for the children to self regulate so that they can thrive both individually and collectively. Personally I am uncomfortable with the word “manage” because it means all the power is in the hands of the adult – while scaffolding, supporting and developing strategies is about empowering children to be their competent selves and reach whatever their potential might be.
My strategy would be to scaffold the skills the children need to navigate the entire cathedral safely. This will take time, and will require excursions to different parts of the cathedral to become familiar with it, as well as for me to notice what the children are interested in. If, for example, the children are interested in steps, I will offer
- play steps in the small room for them to play with and become competent at using (playworker, facilitator)
- varying heights to be played with – being high, jumping, balancing (playworker, facilitator)
- learning opportunities about how to keep themselves safe when using steps or negotiating heights (teacher)
Bit by bit, as the children learn more skills, learn how to make benefit-risk assessments, build trust with the adults, and get to know the cathedral, the children are given an ever bigger space to be autonomous in – until eventually they have the whole cathedral, this might take until their teens, maybe later for some children, earlier for others.
This is the same as life. We do not give children the whole world at once. We create boundaries and limits so that they can be safely autonomous, and that these boundaries and limits are not only growing with the child but are constantly flexible. For example, on days when I notice that children are tired I will create a cosier space with more limits because I know mistakes are much more likely when the children are too tired to self regulate or be aware of their surroundings; this might be for an hour, or a day. Equally, on an excursion to a space the children and myself are very familiar with, the children will have more freedom, including a wider physical play boundary, than they would in a space none of us knew well. The rules are not fixed but are constantly adapting so that I am both supporting the children’s autonomy as well as keeping them safe from real harm.
There is a saying in Swedish that translates to “children’s rights to grazes” – and I think this is a very good reminder that our job is not to stop children from ever getting hurt, because these bumps, bruises and grazes are essential for children to know where their limits are. I remember as a child wearing a bandaid gave you status, it was certainly not something we needed protecting from. As for broken limbs and things that require medical care, Mariana Brussoni* has written that children would need to play three hours every day for ten years before such a medical intervention would be necessary – interestingly sports are much more likely to result in a medical intervention, yet it is always play that is perceived as dangerous. This is why it is so important that we check our own bias and fears. One way to do this is to film the children’s play and then discuss it as a team. Or if this feels too much right now, find films of children’s play that allow you to discuss your feelings about how it makes you feel, and whether you would feel comfortable scaffolding such play. I highly recommend watching Play Wales film “Why is Play Important” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnfdamgVFhY and to discuss and reflect on some, or all, of the following questions (the film includes a wide range of ages, home environments, school environments as well as adventure playgrounds and nature)
- How does it make you feel? Why?
- Were there any situations that felt dangerous to you? Why? How would you adapt them to make them feel less dangerous?
- Were you inspired by the film and what aspects would you like to try? Why?
- What would stop you from offering this kind of play?
- Is there any way of creating something similar that would not be stopped?
- What small step could you take to scaffold play autonomy?
- What rules could be created to allow the kind of freedom and positive feelings the children are describing in the film?
I have written a book on risky play and teaching in Swedish. In the book I write about five guiding words for educators and parents to enable risky or autonomous play.
Trust
Respect
Responsibility
Courage
Freedom
Trust the children’s ability, the knowledge/experience of our colleagues, and the environment. We must also create trust between the educators and the parents, as well as a trust between the children, and the children’s ability to trust us as adults – that we do not randomly change our mind, but that we are reliable in our responses;
Respect children’s need to engage in a wide range of play, and this includes risky play and other play that is often not allowed (messy play);
Take responsibility for ensuring that the space is as safe as necessary, and enable the children to take responsibility for being able to care for the materials, each other and themselves;
Courage to let children engage in risky (not dangerous) play, as well as to support children to have the courage to dare to try things and dare to make mistakes;.
Freedom to try – both children and adults.
One of my principal strategies for autonomous play is asking questions, and to ask some of these questions multiple times throughout the year to notice how I am evolving as an educator. The following questions can help us reflect deeper on the play that is already occurring in our spaces, the play culture that permeates the setting, our relationship with the parents and their attitudes towards play as well as thinking more deeply about the competence of the children in our care.
Reflective questions to ask yourself and in dialog with others
- How do educators/adults make themselves trustworthy to children?
- How do children learn to trust educators/adults?
- How do children learn to trust other children?
- How do you know if a child trusts you, or doesn’t trust you?
- How does trust feel in play?
- How do children learn respect?
- How do you/the children show respect for the possibilities of the space/resources?
- How do you/the children show respect for play?
- How do educators/adults show respect for children?
- What responsibilities do the children have?
- Can some children take too much or too little responsibility – how do you know – what can be done about it?
- How are you responsible for play?
- How brave are you?
- What are you afraid of?
- When are children brave?
- When are children afraid? How often?
- How do you influence children’s courage?
- What does freedom look like in a classroom/preschool?
- How can the children be free together?
- Whose freedom is most important?
- What does freedom feel like?
- How do you know that children experience freedom?
- What is the difference between freedom and autonomy?
- How are you free to provide play?
- How does all this develop over the years – from a one-year-old upwards. For example, how do a one-year-old’s responsibilities differ from a five-year-old’s? And what do adults need to do so that children can develop in trust, respect, responsibility, courage and freedom?
Finally, think about what your vision for autonomous play is. Write it down. Re-read it and make any adjustment you feel needs to be made.
Write down a list of strategies the adults need to use in order to achieve this vision.
Change your vision if the strategies inspire you to.
It’s OK to change your mind, because what we are doing is playing with ideas and possibilities. Don’t forget to play with the stuff offered to the children to know the potentials, limits and risks and how different stuff work together. This is also an excellent way of understanding how children’s play connects to the curriculum (if you are forced to adhere to one) so that it becomes easier to demonstrate that children are reaching curriculum goals without limiting their play.
I recommend taking a year to evolve your strategy, using observations of the children to better understand the play that already occurs there, colleagues’ perspective on play and to know what kind of vision would be the most meaningful in your context. You will also notice that during this time of developing a strategy changes will start to happen organically as we become more aware of how to scaffold play and how play is interwoven with teaching and learning.
Once your strategy is in place, make sure you evaluate it at least twice a year to see if it is helping you achieve your vision, or in other words you are able to walk the talk. Or whether more changes are needed.
And don’t forget to enjoy the process. Play responsive teaching* is an absolute joy once you get used to it and gone will be the need to manage the children to behave when they play and instead you will be open to noticing what the children are doing, and how the play can inform teaching.
- To read about What Mariana Brussoni wrote about three hours of play over ten years – please check out this link https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279208069_Position_Statement_on_Active_Outdoor_Play
- For more information about Playwork please check out https://playwork.foundation/
- And I can recommend the Play Wales website which is full of information, research and tips for play as the country is pivoting towards being play friendly https://play.wales/
- For more about Original Learning and Being Play Responsive
https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/the-ten-principles-of-original-learning
https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/being-play-responsive-lies-at-the
