The Spark journal · Curriculum Design
Purposeful play. Visible learning.
A five-step approach to connecting classroom play with state standards, observation and your next teaching decision.
Plan. Notice. Adjust.
Standards describe learning goals. Your curriculum brings those goals into daily experiences. Observation helps you decide what a child needs next.
Choose a clear learning goal.
Start with a relevant benchmark and your knowledge of the children. Decide which emerging skill you want to notice.
Create an invitation.
Choose materials that invite exploration of that idea. Leave room for children’s choices, questions and unexpected approaches.
Know what to look for.
Prepare a few observation prompts. Listen to children’s language and watch their strategies before deciding when to join in.
Make the learning visible.
Record a specific action or exchange. Connect the observation to a goal, and distinguish what happened from your interpretation.
Use the note tomorrow.
Adjust a material, model a word or offer a new challenge. Documentation becomes useful when it changes your next teaching decision.
One block area.
A clear intention.
An example using Illinois benchmark 7.A.ECa: comparing and ordering objects by one attribute.
Offer blocks of different lengths. Notice how children compare them, and invite them to explain their choices.
Follow the example through
Look for: aligning ends, comparing two lengths, arranging blocks, or using words such as longer and shorter.
An example note: “Lined up three blocks at one end, moved the middle block, then pointed to the longest.” This records an action without assuming mastery from one moment.
Next step: offer a different set of lengths or model a comparison during the child’s play. Revisit the skill across experiences.
See the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for mathematics. This is one example within a broader curriculum, not complete coverage of the standards.
Use the research precisely.
Choose approaches that fit the learning goal and the child.
NAEYC describes a mix of self-directed play, guided play and direct instruction. Teachers remain responsive across all three.
What the guided-play review found
Skene and colleagues’ 2022 review found advantages over direct instruction for some outcomes, including early mathematics, shape knowledge and task switching. It did not establish superiority across every developmental outcome.
Use those findings to inform a specific teaching decision. They do not guarantee results for a particular classroom or mean child-directed play has no value.
Questions from practice.
Can play-based teaching align with IELDS?
Yes. Map experiences to relevant benchmarks, look across developmental domains and use observations to guide planning. A play-based label alone does not demonstrate alignment; the curriculum and evidence matter.
How do free play and guided play differ?
In self-directed play, children shape the activity. Guided play adds an adult’s learning intention and support while retaining children’s agency. Adults can observe learning in both. The appropriate balance depends on the children and the goals.
What documentation is manageable?
Use a brief dated note, work sample or learning story with a clear observation and next step. Follow your program’s consent, privacy and recordkeeping practices for photographs or recordings. Share selected examples with families and invite their perspective.
What about quality ratings or licensing?
Check the current requirements of your state, rating system and program. A curriculum approach does not by itself satisfy every requirement. Match evidence to the applicable criteria and confirm questions with the reviewing body.
Where should a team begin?
Choose one learning area, practice observing together and review a few notes as a team. Model facilitation, make time for reflection and refine the system before expanding it. Families can see progress through concrete examples of what children are doing and learning.
Explore staff training and curriculum consulting or the Purposeful Play Framework at Spark.
Make room for your next step.
Talk with Dr. Michelle Peterson about your team’s goals.