International Day of Play: Learning Hidden in Sticks, Mud and “Watch This!”

Every year on 11th June, International Day of Play gives us a good reason to talk about something children already understand very well.

Play matters.

Not just for toddlers. Not just in nursery. Not just when everything else is finished.

Play is how children learn about the world. It is how they try things out, practise being with other people, use their bodies, make sense of big feelings and build confidence. It is also one of the easiest things for adults to underestimate.

A child can spend half an hour with a stick and see endless possibilities. It can be a sword, a wand, a fishing rod, a flag, a dinosaur bone, a den support or a very important piece of treasure. An adult might look at that and wonder what they are learning.

Usually, quite a lot.

Why Play Has Been in the Spotlight

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion in the early years world about how play is understood in education. Concerns were raised around Ofsted and DfE-linked guidance and the way play can sometimes be treated as less valuable than adult-led teaching.

A group of early years and play specialists, including Ben Kingston-Hughes, worked together on a free collaborative guide called Play Matters. It was written in response to concerns that play was being misunderstood or pushed aside, especially in discussions about curriculum, learning and school readiness.

One of the ideas challenged in the guide was the suggestion that play does not use much of the brain.

Anyone who has watched a child create a complicated imaginary world will know how odd that sounds. Children remember details, organise roles, solve problems, move their bodies, use language, negotiate, manage disappointment, change plans and keep a story going.

That is not a small amount of thinking.

It is worth saying that official early years guidance does still describe play as essential for children’s development. The issue is more about what happens in practice, especially as children move through school. Play can easily become something that is squeezed into short gaps, used as a reward, or seen as less important than sitting at a table and producing something visible.

That is the bit I struggle with.

One Reason I Home Educate

One of the reasons I home educate is because I do not think play should disappear once children leave Reception or Year 1.

I do not think children suddenly stop needing movement, imagination and self-led exploration because they are five, six or seven. I do not think learning has to become more serious by becoming less playful.

For us, home education gives play room to breathe.

That does not mean we do nothing. It does not mean there is no learning, no reading, no maths, no structure and no adult input. It means learning can happen in a way that fits childhood rather than constantly trying to hurry children out of it.

A pretend shop can become writing, counting, money, social skills and role play.

A walk in the woods can become science, geography, storytelling, physical development and risk assessment.

A den can involve planning, measuring, problem-solving and teamwork.

A bubble wand made from sticks and string can lead to questions about shape, air, liquids, movement and trial and error.

It might not look like a worksheet, but that does not mean it is not education.

How to Spot Learning in Play

One of the easiest ways to value play is to start noticing what is actually happening.

When children are playing, they might be:

solving problems
testing ideas
making predictions
using new words
telling stories
counting, sorting or measuring
negotiating with other children
managing frustration
building confidence
using their bodies in different ways
taking safe risks
copying real life
processing things they have experienced
making choices
following their own interests

A child building with blocks might be learning about balance and structure.

A child making mud soup might be exploring texture, capacity, mixing and cause and effect.

A child pretending to be a vet might be practising care, empathy, language and sequencing.

A child climbing a tree might be learning where their body is in space, how to assess risk and how to trust themselves.

A child repeating the same game again and again might be processing something important or practising a skill until it feels secure.

It is easy to miss this if we are only looking for written work or a finished product. Play often looks messy, noisy and unfinished. Real learning often does.

Play Is Not Only for Little Children

Play changes as children grow, but it does not stop being important.

A toddler might play by filling and emptying a bucket.

A five-year-old might create an entire rescue mission with dinosaurs, cushions and a cardboard box.

An older child might build, code, draw, act, invent games, make dens, create comics, play sport, experiment, make music or disappear into a pretend world with friends.

Teenagers still need play too, even if it looks different. Gaming, sport, drama, music, jokes with friends, creative projects, board games, role play, photography, dance and making things can all be forms of play.

Adults need it as well. We just tend to rename it hobbies, creativity, sport, crafts, downtime or messing about.

Play helps people connect. It helps us relax, think, create and cope. It gives the brain a bit of space. It gives the body something useful to do. It brings joy, and joy is not a minor thing.

Ways to Celebrate International Day of Play

You do not need an elaborate activity plan for International Day of Play. In fact, it is probably better if you do not have one.

The point is not to make play look impressive. The point is to make space for it.

Here are some simple ideas.

Give your child a “yes to play” hour. Let them lead and say yes where you safely can.

Go outside with no plan. Collect sticks, climb logs, make potions, build dens, follow paths or see what they notice.

Put out loose parts. Stones, shells, pinecones, fabric scraps, cardboard tubes, buttons and bottle tops can become almost anything.

Build something together. A blanket fort, cardboard castle, bug hotel, fairy village, dinosaur land or spaceship.

Play with water. Bowls, cups, spoons, funnels and a towel are enough for a lot of experimenting.

Make a giant bubble wand. Two sticks, string and bubble solution can turn into a full afternoon of trial and error.

Let older children revisit younger play. Big children can still enjoy mud kitchens, small world toys, sensory play and role play.

Join in without taking over. Be the customer, patient, dragon, pirate, baby, shopkeeper or person who needs rescuing.

Leave some play unfinished. Not everything has to become a display, a photo or a lesson.

Watch for a while. Before stepping in, notice what your child is doing. There is often more going on than it first seems.

A Different Way to Look at Play

International Day of Play is a good reminder to look again at the ordinary things children do.

When they are building with sticks, we can see engineering.

When they are making mud pies, we can see science.

When they are pretending to be animals, we can see communication and imagination.

When they are arguing over the rules of a made-up game, we can see negotiation.

When they are climbing and jumping, we can see physical development and risk assessment.

When they are playing the same thing over and over, we can see practice, processing and confidence building.

Children do not always separate their learning into subjects. They mix it all together. That is part of what makes play so powerful.

Final Thoughts

Play is not a break from learning. It is one of the ways learning happens.

It supports language, movement, problem-solving, creativity, emotional regulation, confidence, relationships and wellbeing. It matters in the early years, but it also matters beyond them.

As a home educating mum, I want play to stay part of our days for as long as possible. Not because I am avoiding education, but because I can see education happening in the middle of the play.

In the sticks.

In the mud.

In the bubbles.

In the dens.

In the pretend shops.

In the repeated games.

In the “watch this!”

In the ordinary moments that are easy to overlook.

So for International Day of Play, my plan is very simple.

Make space.

Let them play.

Notice the learning.