A third grade student sets the last domino down in a row along the edge of a table while playing in Crystal O’Brien’s classroom at Shidler Elementary School in Oklahoma City. Credit: Ariel ...

EdSource · The John Fensterwald forecast: What’s coming for California schools in 2026 The John Fensterwald forecast: What’s coming for California schools in 2026 January 8, 2026 - It's time for John ...

Rethinking the separation of play and learning can help transform America's cities into fun, engaging, life-size learning opportunities for the whole family. Credit: Jackie Mader/ Hechinger Report The ...

When the doors to Mansfield Elementary School in northeastern Connecticut officially opened to students in the 2023-24 school year, Principal Kate McCoy had a lot to be excited about. She looked ...

Whether it’s in schools, at home, or in the community, learning should be fun! Children love to explore and discover. And learning through play does not mean a sacrifice of rigor or loss of ...

January 8, 2026 - It's time for John Fensterwald's annual predictions for what's in store for education in 2026. When it comes to early childhood education, child’s play may well be serious business.

One of my earliest posts here concerned the definition of play, which I developed further in an article on “Definitions of Play” for Scholarpedia (Gray, 2013) and in my book Free to Learn. I first ...