The pursuit of playful learning

Teaching how “human brains learn”

In a recent New America article, Lisa Guernsey describes how playful learning and other “meaningful teaching techniques” support literacy and math skills while also building “durable skills”, like problem solving and communication, foundational to academic learning.

Pointing to the 2024 National Academies curriculum report and a 2025 Brookings Institution white paper, she emphasizes the importance of pedagogical practices that center play, quoting the Brookings authors’ advice, “If we teach in the way that human brains learn, children will learn better.”

Key ingredients found in Tools

Guernsey recognizes Tools as an exemplar for combining curriculum and pedagogy to “purposefully integrate playful, active, and social learning activities with specific learning goals” and shows how Tools activities provide children with motivating and developmentally appropriate practice opportunities, centering child talk and peer interactions.

Many peer interactions take place in the context of Tools guided make-believe play, where children use their growing knowledge of a play theme to take on roles and develop play scenarios that become richer and more socially complex over time.

‍

Embracing what works

Children have always learned by observing the world around them and imitating what they see through play. Tools harnesses that natural predisposition for make-believe play, taking intentional opportunities to build content knowledge and develop vocabulary and problem-solving skills in context.  

“A high-quality curriculum will be more effective when married with pedagogical strategies that motivate children, help them retain what they learn, and stoke their appetite for more.”
- Lisa Guernsey in New America’s How Playful Pedagogy Support Curricula and Other Learning Goals for Children

Leveraging professional learning

A 2025 RAND survey of preschool teachers across the country found 59 percent want more professional learning opportunities focused on child cognition and brain development. The report concluded, “Professional learning may be a critical lever for helping teachers use their instructional materials effectively with the children they teach.”

Tools takeaway

Deep understanding of child learning and development, paired with actionable teaching practices and strategies, prepares and empowers teachers to facilitate compelling playful learning in their classrooms.