Technolandy

Day 98 (of 2025/26) #gsplayday eve! @gsplayday Global School Play Day at https://globalschoolplayday.com/ #GSPD2026

Ahhh feels like not that long ago that some asynchronous conversations with some smarter educators than me were isolating on a key factor that Haidt seemed to not focus too much time on while blaming screens as the paramount reason for “The Anxious Generation” but one that some of us were looking to for the increase anxiety that we were seeing in our schools despite interventions such as the fabulous Australian program: Friends For Life. 

Free Play.

We were seeing that free time was becoming not-so-free… it seemed like so much attention had been given to building on ‘this or that’ choices… so kids could do anything they wanted after school – as long as it was soccer or karate…

So to try to reclaim and reframe the value of Play (the work of child, according to Maria Montessori) as something we could do with. Scott and Tim Bedley took it a bit further than Chris and I were – but we were giving some big time support! They started a day of play… started small with just a few schools but quickly had a lot of fans and became “global”. Really emphasizing the value of play (which has been part of our provinces primary program for…a long time!) but sometimes gets more prescriptive, by design… and (guilty!) tied to reinforce a key learning moment/skill…

The goal of the day (scaffolded as needed) is to let students play freely. A day (scaffolded – an hour; an afternoon; a block) of UNSTRUCTURED PLAY with adults resisting the temptation to intervene and focus on the learning 

Admittedly, I don’t always follow the ‘no electricity’ rule, but always have that as the focus to explore and try out…

Curious? Tips to Encourage Play (For Teachers & Families)

• No strict rules — let kids lead the fun
• Give choices, but don’t over-structure
• Encourage collaboration over competition
• Provide open-ended materials (things that can be used in many ways)

At Oceanview, we always have some… distractions… but on Wednesday we will have some targeted tools of the day:

Wooden blocks (but BIG ones)

Lego station

Puzzles

Domino Maze (NEW!)

Board Games

And Wednesday is our hybrid D&D session for grades 2-11 – D&D is a great Role/Roll Playing Game to build English Language Arts skills!

Suggestions for our home learners:

CREATIVE PLAY:

• Loose Parts Play: buckets of random materials (blocks, corks, fabric scraps, cardboard tubes, bottle caps) for building and designing.
• Art Creation Zone: giant paper on the floor or wall with markers, crayons, stamps — no “rules” art.
• Dress-Up & Role Play Corner: costumes and props where kids can act out stories together.

IMAGINATION & MOVEMENT

• Storytelling Circle: one person starts a story with a line and others add to it one by one.
• Obstacle Course: use cones, jump ropes, cushions — kids create the course and navigate it.

SOCIAL & COOPERATIVE PLAY

• Group Games:
  • Wink Murder
  • Stagecoach
  • Musical Chairs with creative movement instead of chairs
• Team Challenges:
  • Build the tallest tower with limited materials
  • Puzzle races (teams compete or collaborate)

At-Home Activities for Families

These are screen-free and easy to organize with everyday materials.

Creative & DIY Projects

• Blanket Fort Building: cushions, chairs, blankets — then play inside!
• DIY Obstacle Course: tape on the floor, jump spots, balance lines.
• Shadow Puppets: flashlight and hands/DIY cutouts create stories.

 Arts and Play

• Family Mural: tape large paper to a door or wall and draw together.
• Create Your Own Game: design rules, draw board, invent characters.
• Nature Play Jar: go outside, collect small treasures, then make art with them.

Interactive Play with Family

• Improv Stories: one person names a character and situation, others act it out.
• Dance Party Freeze: dance until music stops, then freeze in place!
• Playful Challenges:
  • Silly obstacle race (bedroom to kitchen)
  • Funny face charades

The Global School Play Day is one of my favourites… love how it continues to spread and more educators are willing to embed more elements of Play into EACH Day!