Making Education Playful

Education should, more than anything, be about becoming an empowered citizen able to make decisions and take reflective action, not just take tests and pass exams. Education has taken an unfortunate turn towards the latter in an attempt to control and standardise outcomes,  marginalizing play, as it leaves less space for the unpredictable.

This makes it all the more imperative that we find and create new opportunities to play in education. Playfulness is foundational for many of the skills and traits we value most, and being playful is closely tied to not just innovation and creativity, but also being empowered, and to engaging in active, meaningful relationships with other people.