Modeling Learning Through Play to Inspire More Sophisticated Play Patterns

• In Event: 1-220 - Play Today: Investigating and Encouraging Play in the Contemporary Developmental Environment

Integrative Statement

All children, regardless of gender, culture, or socioeconomic status, naturally engage in play. While there are educational benefits of all play, not all play patterns are created equal in terms of learning outcomes (Bodrova, Germerth, & Leong, 2013; Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, Berk, & Singer, 2008). Furthermore, not all children are provided opportunities (time, space, and encouragement) to engage in playful learning activities (Juster & Leichter-Saxby, 2014). When children play, they are: motivated by their own interests which makes play meaningful; cognitively, physically, and socially engaged, and curious as they try out possibilities and revise their thinking (LEGO Foundation, 2017).

To inspire more sophisticated play that includes educational skills across content domains (e.g. academic, social, emotion, and health), Sesame Workshop, creators of Sesame Street, developed an animated series entitled Esme & Roy. The primary educational goal is to model how children learn best through play that is guided by the lead characters who are the best Monster Sitters in Monsterdale! According to Weisberg, et. al. (2016), guided play combines child-directed nature of free play with a focus on learning outcomes and mentorship (adult or older child). For this series, guided play occurs when the play mentor watches the child-directed activities and extends the child’s interest through play. In each episode, a learning through play activity linked with a learning goal was modeled as a creative solution to a problem (e.g., “I don’t want to stop playing to take a bath”). One of three types of play patterns were featured: pretend, maker/construction, and rule-based game play. The secondary learning goal was mindfulness. One of the following self-regulation strategies: belly breathing, glitter jar combined with taking deep breaths, self-talk, and self-hugging was modeled in each episode.

To ensure the educational efficacy of this series, we conducted formative research to examine preschoolers’ comprehension of the story and learning goals, as well as parents’ assessment of the educational messages. The study was conducted in a research facility in New York City and in St. Louis, MO and included 42 parent-child dyads. Children, ages 4 and 5, watched each episode with a parent in a group of 5 parent-child dyads. After viewing one episode, parents were interviewed by one researcher, the children by another. The participants then reconvened and watched a second episode followed by group interviews. Episodes were counterbalanced.

Children understood the problem in the story and how the characters engaged in play to solve the problem. Children also understood how a specific strategy used in the story helped the monster calm down. While the play pattern was top of mind for the children; parents most appreciated the mindfulness strategies, especially the tangible use of a glitter jar to calm a child down.

Based on these results, we developed the series with the following goals: For the children: increase learning through play patterns and their use of self-regulation strategies; for parents: change their mindset about how children learn through play and what their role is in facilitating and guiding their children’s play to increase learning outcomes.

Authors

• Rosemarie T Truglio, Sesame Workshop
  Presenting Author

• Courtney Wong, Sesame Workshop
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rebecca Seibert, Sesame Workshop
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer Kotler Clarke, Sesame Workshop
  Non-Presenting Author