When I think back on the most memorable moments in my education, I don’t recall worksheets, drills or lectures. What stays with me are the science experiments, class demonstrations, performances and presentations — the moments when learning came alive. Those experiences weren’t just engaging; they sparked the “aha” moments when something complex finally made sense.

That understanding stayed with me when I became a teacher: Learning by doing helps students best grasp challenging concepts.

Yet somewhere along the way — amid the pressures of high-stakes testing and curriculum mandates — play and hands-on learning have been pushed to the margins, even in our early childhood classrooms. What was once seen as essential is too often treated as optional.

“There has to be a redefining,” said UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford. “Play is instructional, and play should be a necessary component in a curriculum,” she said. “It is an academic exercise. And it’s OK to have fun. It doesn’t mean that children aren’t learning because they’re enjoying the work.”

“Play is the work of all children at all stages of growth,” said Marisol Peña, UFT education liaison and a former kindergarten teacher.

Research overwhelmingly reinforces the benefits of play-based instruction. Children who engage in cooperative play generally have higher self-esteem, and play fosters social skills like sharing, taking turns and resolving conflicts. Active learning has been shown to boost academic achievement and retention compared to teacher-led instruction.

Play teaches essential foundational skills, explained pre-K teacher and Chapter Leader Misty Santo of PS 133 in Queens. Through play, Santo introduces academics like alphabet and number recognition, vocabulary, earth science and language skills. Students are having so much fun that “they don’t realize all the things they’re learning through play,” said Santo.

Play also teaches social-emotional skills. “Having strong social foundations is where we need to begin for everything,” said Santo. “My children are learning how to self-regulate, and when they’re having a problem, I see empathy with other children” in them. This prepares students not only to relate to classmates but also for kindergarten’s more structured school day, she said.

Play and hands-on learning “are all life skills,” said Teresa Bello, a special education pre-K teacher at PS 185 in Manhattan. “It’s the experience that solidifies in your mind,” she said, echoing early childhood advocate Bev Bos: “If it hasn’t been in the hand and the body, it can’t be in the brain.”

Engaging multiple senses, Bello added, deepens understanding: “If you smelled it, you touched it and you saw it, you’re going to know it much better than doing a worksheet.”

Just as important, play fosters a lasting love of learning. “If we take that away from our youngest students, it makes it more difficult for them to persevere when things get tougher” in high-stakes situations and with more complex tasks, she said.

Educators are finding ways to ensure play remains part of classroom instruction. Santo designed a professional development workshop where colleagues were expected to play. “It changed their mood, it changed their attitude,” she said.

Bello recommends embedding play alongside curriculum. To aid in this, teachers can use artificial intelligence to handle administrative tasks, freeing up time “to get back to play-based activities,” she said.

Alford emphasizes that “contractual structures” such as school consultation committees, professional learning committees and common planning time “allow for conversation” around instruction. Teachers can demonstrate that “the lesson is happening, all the skills are being taught, but part of it is through instructional play,” Alford said.

The UFT Elementary School Division has established committees of early education and elementary teachers to address these concerns. The team noted that while “academics is always at the forefront,” said Peña, “play in particular was something that was being lost.”

As a result, the UFT passed a resolution at the November 2025 Delegate Assembly to protect play and experiential learning and “advocate for unstructured playtime for students, the right to agency and active exploration, and age-appropriate experiential learning opportunities in every grade.”

“We wanted to make sure that all elementary teachers feel safe to explore play,” said Peña. “We’ll continue to champion their voice. We’re not stopping.”