Early Childhood: How Playful Learning Shapes Lifelong Thinkers, Johnson, Spring 2026

Course Number:	EDU 5710 S32
Instructor:	Malinda "Lindy" Johnson, M.A.
Location:	March 25 - June 05, 2026. This course begins at the Kindergarten Conference in Burlington on March 25,2026.
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	$1,195

Course Description

This course is designed to continue and expand the learning that begins at the Vermont Kindergarten Conference into the classroom. Students will research, discuss, adapt, implement, and enhance lessons that integrate playful approaches into early childhood classrooms (PreK-Kindergarten).

Audience: Early childhood educators with a Bachelor's Degree

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

1. Apply play-based strategies in PreK–Kindergarten classrooms and evaluate their effectiveness in promoting student engagement and learning.
2. Adapt and design classroom lessons that integrate playful learning across subject areas.
3. Engage in discussion and reflection with peers to deepen understanding of developmentally appropriate, play-centered approaches.
4. Investigate current theories, strategies, and research related to playful learning in early childhood education.
5. Enhance teaching practices to create joyful, inclusive, and developmentally responsive learning environments.

Course Objectives:

1. Analyze and evaluate current research and theory on play-based learning to inform instructional decisions in early childhood education.
2. Collaborate effectively with peers to discuss, critique, and refine play-centered teaching approaches that support diverse learners.
3. Design and adapt classroom lessons that integrate playful learning experiences across content areas for early childhood students.
4. Implement and assess play-based learning strategies in classroom settings, using reflection and feedback to improve instructional effectiveness.
5. Demonstrate professional growth by articulating how playful, developmentally appropriate practices foster engagement, creativity, and long-term learning

Course Schedule

General Schedule:

Virtual meetings will be identified Wednesdays. Assignments will be due on specified Wednesdays. Final project will be due last day of class.

Schedule Specifics:

Week 1: Attend the Kindergarten Conference (3/25 - Wednesday).

• Assignment: Complete conference reflection paper, due Wed.
• Readings: The Playful Classroom: Introduction, Section 1.

Week 2: Attend Virtual Class (Wed.).

• Readings: Chapter 1 - Guided Play and Brain Research from Serious Fun (PDF in Canvas)
• Assignment: Canvas response to reading.

Week 3: Readings: Playful Classroom, Section 2.

• Canvas assignment

Week 4: Attend Virtual Class (Wed.).

• Readings: The Playful Classroom: Section 3
• Assignment: Canvas response to prompt.

Week 5: School vacation - Canvas assignment: Play journal.

Week 6: Attend Virtual Class (Wed.)

• Readings: The Playful Classroom: Section 4
• Assignment: Canvas discussion post/response

Week 7: Readings: The Playful Classroom: Section 5

• Assignment: Lesson redesign assignment

Week 8: Attend Virtual Class (Wed.)

• Readings: The Playful Classroom: Section 6

Week 9: Readings: The Playful Classroom: Section 7

• Assignment: Canvas article/response

Week 10: Attend Virtual Class (Wed.)

• Readings: The Playful Classroom: Section 7 continued
• Assignment: Final project implementation/reflection

Week 11: Assignment: Submit final project, complete evaluation, complete Canvas posts.

Instructor

Malinda "Lindy" Johnson, M.A.

Required Resources

Costs for required resources/readings, if any, are not included in the course tuition.

Chapter 1 from: Masterson, M.L., & H. Bohart, eds. 2019. Serious Fun: How Guided Play Extends Children’s Learning. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Wickstrom, Hanna, and Angela Pyle. “Supporting early math learning along a continuum of guided play.” Early Childhood Education Journal, vol. 53, no. 4, 30 Mar. 2024, pp. 1053–1063, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01650-8.

The Power of Playful Learning in the Early Childhood Setting (2022). Zosh, Jennifer M., C. GAUDREAU, et. al. Young Children. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18rtvQuKSr-s8TguV4GqCq33f02Di5XOj/view?usp=sharing

Parker R, Thomsen BS and Berry A (2022) Learning Through Play at School – A Framework for Policy and Practice. Front. Educ. 7:751801. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.751801

Sanchez, A. Guided Play in the Kindergarten Classroom: One Teacher’s Inquiry into Scaffolding Play-Based Writing Instruction. Early Childhood Educ J 53, 2089–2098 (2025).

For additional course information

Malinda Johnson

(802) 793-0384

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325

Register Now!