Play Is Not Free Time: Why Play-Based Learning Is Serious Work

When people talk about early childhood education, play is often misunderstood as “free time” — a break from learning rather than learning itself. Blocks, dress-ups and outdoor games are sometimes viewed as pleasant but peripheral activities.

In Australia’s early learning context, nothing could be further from the truth.

Play-based learning is not the absence of intention. It is a deliberate, evidence-informed pedagogy that supports children’s development across cognitive, social, emotional and physical domains. When designed well, play is serious work.

Play at the heart of Australian frameworks

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) Version 2.0 places play-based learning with intentionality at the centre of early childhood practice. The framework states that:

“Play-based learning with intentionality can expand children’s thinking and enhance their desire to know and to learn, promoting positive dispositions towards learning.”

A key shift in EYLF V2.0 is that the Practice is now explicitly titled Play-based learning and intentionality, strengthening the connection between educator decision-making and children’s agentic play. Intentionality is described as something exercised by both adults and children — educators make thoughtful pedagogical choices, while children actively shape their learning through exploration, inquiry and imagination.

This approach is also embedded across the National Quality Standard (NQS). While most visible in Quality Area 1 (Educational Program and Practice), intentional play-based learning is reinforced through:

• Quality Area 3 – learning environments that invite exploration and challenge

• Quality Area 5 – relationships that support collaboration, agency and wellbeing

• Quality Area 7 – educational leadership that builds educator capability in pedagogy

Together, these standards position play not as optional, but as a core driver of quality.

What serious learning looks like through play

High-quality play engages children in complex learning processes that underpin later success at school and beyond.

Intentional play isn’t passive

A persistent misconception is that play-based learning means educators “step back” and let learning happen on its own. In reality, EYLF V2.0 emphasises that educators must act deliberately, thoughtfully and purposefully to support learning through play.

This aligns with current research highlighting the importance of guided play (sometimes called educator-guided play). Much of the positive evidence for play-based learning comes from studies where educators gently co-play, extend thinking, pose open-ended questions or introduce materials at just the right moment.

Studies suggest the strongest learning gains often occur in guided play, where educators move in and out of different roles — observer, co-player, questioner or model — to promote exploration, curiosity and higher-order thinking, without overtaking children’s agency.

Play, rigour and assessment

Play-based learning is not unstructured or unplanned. High-quality early childhood programs use observation, assessment and planning cycles to intentionally design play experiences that link to learning outcomes — as emphasised in the NQS Guide.

This rigour is particularly important for equity. Play-based approaches can be especially beneficial for children experiencing social, emotional or educational disadvantage, providing inclusive, strengths-based pathways into learning that honour diverse ways of knowing and being.

Play as work with purpose

When children are deeply engaged in play, they are not taking a break from learning — they are doing some of their most important work. They are building the foundations for language, numeracy, problem-solving, self-regulation and lifelong curiosity.

Strong early play experiences lay the groundwork for later achievement, with child-centred, active, play-based approaches supporting early numeracy and problem-solving long before formal schooling begins.

For educators, leaders and policymakers alike, investing in educator capability in intentional play-based pedagogy remains one of the most powerful levers for lifting quality — particularly in Quality Area 1.

Because play is not free time.It is purposeful, demanding and profoundly meaningful work.