Spark and Grow: Advancing Play-Based Learning in Early Childhood Education

Policies alone won’t put learning through play into classrooms where it matters most.

In recent years, education systems in Eastern and Southern Africa, including in Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa have seen significant progress in embedding learning through play (LtP) into educational policies. Governments and partners increasingly recognise play as a powerful approach to building foundational skills, creativity, and well-being among young learners. Yet, while these policies mark an important first step, turning them into meaningful, practical changes in classrooms remains a challenge.

These issues were at the heart of the Spark and Grow Symposium: Advancing Play-Based Learning in Early Childhood Education, held in Lusaka, Zambia on 11-12 November 2024. Hosted by the Ministry of Education Zambia, VVOB, and the Africa Early Childhood Network (AfECN), the symposium brought together policymakers, educators, and partners to reflect on achievements, exchange innovative practices, and confront persistent challenges related to the integration of LtP in early childhood education. While celebrating progress, the symposium emphasised that sustained and scaled integration of LtP requires strengthening of delivery mechanisms, like teacher training and teacher professional development, development and provision of play-based teaching and learning materials and tailoring approaches to the unique contexts of educators and learners.

Achievements in Policy Integration

Across the region, governments have made important strides in embedding learning through play into educational frameworks. For example, in Zambia, in the newly developed Education Curriculum Framework, the teaching approach in early childhood education explicitly mentions learning through play. In Uganda, play is recognised as a cornerstone of childhood development, reflected in the Early Learning Framework for learners aged 3 to 5 years and in the government’s commitments to developing the National Guidelines for Learning through Play, with the National Curriculum Development Centre and Basic Education Department leading the process.

During the symposium, Valérie Djioze-Gallet, Education Programme Specialist at UNESCO, highlighted how international commitments, such as the Tashkent Declaration and Commitment to Action, are also guiding countries in integrating learning through play into policy documents, curricula, and teacher guidelines. These efforts lay a strong foundation for change and signal a shared commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 - ensuring that all children have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

Collaborating with governments to scale Learning through Play is no small feat, but the transformative impact makes every effort worthwhile.

Susan Place Everhart
^{CEO of Sabre Education}

Susan Place Everhart, CEO of Sabre Education, speaking at the IT'S PLAY Regional Symposium.

Ghana offers a clear example of this progress. As Susan Place Everhart, CEO of Sabre Education explained, the country has introduced a play-based ECE curriculum and developed a national teacher training manual. These policies provide critical support for learning through play in early childhood education, establishing play-based teaching and learning methods as the central curriculum delivery method and providing teachers with clear guidance on how to integrate play into their teaching. However, implementation remains a challenge. Many teachers still lack sufficient training and play-based teaching and learning materials to move away from rote-based methods, highlighting the need for practical delivery systems that complement policy.

Strengthening Teacher Professional Development

Empowering teachers is key to successfully integrating LtP into classrooms. Yet, many teacher professional development (TPD) systems struggle to provide the practical, context-specific training and ongoing support teachers need to confidently deliver play-based learning.

Innovative programmes like VVOB’s IT’S PLAY initiative are leading the way in addressing these challenges. Through hands-on training and access to practical tools, IT’S PLAY has equipped educators to implement LtP more effectively. In an impact study, conducted by the University of Glasgow and the University of Zambia, participants in the programme showed improved skills in adapting activities to diverse classroom contexts, using group work strategies, and integrating low-cost play materials like bottle caps or items made by teachers themselves.

These results show that well-designed TPD programmes can transform teaching practices and build teacher confidence. Ngandu Siamwaanja, an early childhood education teacher in Zambia’s Lusaka province, says play-based learning taught her to be hands-on. “Now I love crafting,” she says.” “I have cardboard everywhere. I stay up late making things. My daughter even keeps an eye out and collects cardboard or other materials for me to craft. I’ve even made a puppet theatre.”

"I have cardboard everywhere. I stay up late making things. My daughter even keeps an eye out and collects cardboard or other materials for me to craft. I’ve even made a puppet theatre.”
Ngandu Siamwaanja, early childhood education teacher

In Lusaka, under the IT’S PLAY project, teachers like Ngandu are meeting and exchanging best practices regularly within a network of early childhood education teachers. This is a far cry from how things were when early childhood teacher Emelda Musonda started out teaching just over a decade ago. Back then, she had no materials at all and had to post on social media asking other teachers to let her borrow books to photocopy. Now, Emelda, Ngandu and other teachers meet during the schools’ midterm break. Each term they sit together and plan and make materials. They also visit each other's schools to observe.

However, to scale such successes, governments and partners need to integrate these approaches into national systems, ensuring they are sustainable and accessible to all educators. By institutionalising these innovations, LtP can become a standard feature of quality education, rather than a standalone initiative.

Robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems are also critical for supporting the scaling of LtP. As highlighted by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) during the symposium, MEL frameworks enable governments and implementing partners to measure progress, assess impact and refine strategies. Credible, data-driven insights are essential for identifying what works, addressing challenges and guiding resource allocation effectively.

Early childhood education teacher Ngandu Siamwaanja teaching her class.

Early childhood education teacher Ngandu Siamwaanja posing with her self-made puppet theatre in her classroom.

Early childhood teacher Emelda Musonda observing a young student arranging colourful cutouts on a chalkboard in her classroom.

Early childhood education teacher Emelda Musonda observing a young student arranging colourful cutouts on a chalkboard in her classroom.

Early childhood education teacher Emelda Musonda exchanging with participants at the Spark and Grow IT'S PLAY Regional Symposium.

The Case for Localised Play-based Learning Models

Another key takeaway from the symposium was the need for localised and contextually relevant play-based learning models. Mwimbu Ngoma, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor for VVOB in Zambia stressed the importance of aligning LtP with local realities, including cultural norms, available resources, and community priorities. These insights reaffirm that no single approach can fit all contexts.

Rupert Corbishley, Regional Education and Early Childhood Development Advisor at the Aga Khan Foundation further emphasised the role of community engagement in ensuring the success of LtP initiatives. Co-creating models with parents, teachers and children fosters a sense of shared ownership and ensures that LtP activities are meaningful and relevant. For teacher Emelda Musonda in Zambia, this means inviting parents to school each day for the first week, ensuring they see how the term will be set up. At the end of term, she gives parents a detailed report of their child’s progress and invites them back to discuss. This collaborative approach builds trust, reduces resistance to change and creates a foundation for long-term sustainability.

A Call to Action

The Spark and Grow Symposium reinforced a vital message: while embedding LtP into policies is a crucial step, true transformation happens in classrooms, communities, and teacher training centres. To realise the full potential of LtP, governments, educators, and partners must work together to bridge the gap between policy and practice.

By empowering teachers, investing in robust MEL systems, and creating localised models, we can ensure that LtP becomes more than an aspiration—it becomes a reality for children across Africa. The momentum is building, and the opportunities are clear. Now is the time to act, to move beyond policies, and to focus on what matters most: giving every child the chance to learn and thrive through the power of play.

Learn more about the power of play-based learning in our technical brief: https://www.vvob.org/en/downloads/technical-brief-10-play-based-learning