The Thunder Bolt

By Louise Graham and Emily Turner-Williams, Reception Teachers.

This article was originally published in the Winter Issue 2022 of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) Triannual Journal.  

At Concordia Hanoi, we believe that Early Childhood is a time of discovery and joy. As educators, we know the importance and necessity of play in a child’s learning journey. In this current educational climate, we have begun and continue another school year with home learning. There is no substitute for face-to-face interaction with peers, but in these circumstances, how can we do our best to cultivate a playful atmosphere and support our youngest online learners to build relationships? Let us share a snapshot of our journey as we seek to answer this question for our students. One of the ways we have been trying to address this question is through the implementation of virtual playgroups. 

From the second week of school, we have run virtual playgroups. Students are given choices each day for which playgroup they would like to join. The playgroups are planned across the week to include activities from a variety of different types of play. These include but are not limited to dramatic play, imaginative play, sensory play, creative play, exploratory play, music and movement, STEM, Toys, and quiet play. Options also include ‘small conversation groups, where children lead and enjoy conversing with their peers’ and 1:1 sessions with teachers, led by the student. We hope that just as we set up a physical classroom environment to encourage learning in various contexts, our virtual learning space will do the same. We also hope to pique a variety of interests. By giving each playgroup a specific focus, we have found it helps students make connections through shared interests and helps them concentrate, relate, and interact with one another through their play. 

As teachers, we have found it is beneficial for educators to model how to play, especially during home learning, when being playful on the screen may feel less natural. During the first few weeks of school, our playgroups required a lot of modeling and coaching from educators. It did not come naturally for students to “play” together online. For example, during a restaurant-themed dramatic playgroup, the teacher modeled for students how she was writing a menu. The teacher said to the students, “I will be the waiter. Let me read you my menu.” The teacher showed the menu she had created and read it to the group. “Would someone like to pretend they are the customer and order from my menu?” This interaction helped stimulate ideas for play, eventually leading the students to make their own menus, gather food at home, and take turns role-playing as the waiters, chefs, and customers. Students engaged in authentic writing experiences by adding signs, writing menus, pretending to take food and money through the screen, and engaging in dialogue with their peers. 

As playgroups progress, students can lead the play with growing independence and initiative. Teachers are there in a more supportive role, helping only when students need prompting or encouragement to enhance or sustain their playful interactions. On one occasion, students lead out many different scenarios and contexts of play during a ‘Hair and Beauty Salon’ playgroup. In an example of creative play, one student traced their hand and used cotton buds to paint the nails. After seeing this, another student was inspired to try the same technique. In an example of social play, a student observed a classmate styling their dolls' hair:

“Can I see your hair?” the student asked. They continued, “When I come to your house one day, we can make your doll beautiful together. I will help.” 

The other student turned the doll around and said, “I do it like this (showing the ponytail).”

 “Wow, that’s beautiful!” 

After hearing this, a third student chimed in, “I also like ____’s hairstyle!” 

This interaction demonstrates that friendships are building virtually and that students can communicate positively through play together. It also reflects a sense of positivity and hope that there is a time in the near future where they will be able to play together in person. 

In one playgroup, students were playing with dolls and babies. A student wrapped themselves in a blanket and pretended to cry on the screen. Another student who had recently had a new sibling born ran from his computer and grabbed some objects from around the home. One by one, he held up different things to the screen to see if one would help his friend, ‘the baby.’ He held up a pacifier, then a bottle, then a diaper to see if something would help soothe. This student made a connection to his own life, recalling that when his baby brother cries, mom or dad presents the baby with these different items to help the baby stop crying. Even online, students can play with one another and engage in deep learning to form connections to the world around them. 

As a school practicing ‘Conscious Discipline,’ we aim to support students in developing their emotional regulation skills, including empathy. During a music and movement playgroup, students engaged in guided play through a musical game. In this game, students brought stuffies, and as students sang a song together, some of the stuffies would remain ‘in’ the game, and others would ‘be out.’ During the game, the teacher held up their stuffie and said, “Hmph! I don’t want to be out.” Another student held up one of their stuffies and said, “Don’t worry. I’m out too. You can try again next time.” This is an example of how students could practice and develop their skill set of empathy through their play, even while online. 

At Concordia Hanoi, we value parent partnerships, and the feedback we receive from our families is carefully considered and used to adapt our home learning program to meet the needs of our students. In a survey distributed to families about the playgroups, one parent shared, “My child has been able to make connections through talking to other children and seeing the other kids like or have similar toys and interests.” Another family shared that “Playgroups have developed my daughter’s confidence to speak out loud as well as helped with her organizational skills, as she now prepares materials for playgroups independently.” Several parents shared that they have noticed their child’s vocabulary has improved through their participation in playgroups. Furthermore, we were excited to hear from a parent that “My child looks forward to playgroup time. She always asks me on Mondays about all the options for the week, and then she thinks a lot about what she should choose.”

While we continue our home learning journey and recognize that it comes with its challenges, we are happy that students are building connections and having the time to be playful with one another, even in a virtual setting. We remain hopeful that students will be playing together in person soon, but we shall continue to promote playfulness in our virtual classrooms until then.