CofC Podcast: What is Play-Based Learning and Why Does it Matter?

September 1, 2026

Amy Stockwell

CofC Podcast, Academics

On this episode of the "Speaking of ... College of Charleston" podcast, teacher education professor Kelley White explains why play-based learning is essential for children’s comprehension, development and emotional growth.

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We’re packing more and more into kids’ days. They face pressure to achieve at younger ages, screens fill more of their free time and even downtime can feel like something that needs to be productive. But what may be getting lost is something deceptively simple: play.

“Play is really children’s opportunity to explore and test out their ideas about the world,” says Kelley White, professor of teacher education at the College of Charleston.

On this episode of Speaking of … College of Charleston, White talks about why play is an essential part of learning, helping children solve problems and navigate relationships and giving them a way to process difficult experiences. She also explains what play-based learning looks like in the classroom, why it shouldn’t disappear as children get older and what adults might gain from making more room for play in their own lives.

Listen to the full episode here or on any podcast platform:

How Does Play Help Children Process Difficult Experiences?

One of White’s earliest lessons about the power of play came during her second year as a kindergarten teacher outside of Washington, D.C., following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She watched as one of her students repeatedly reenacted the events at the classroom sand table. What initially worried White eventually helped her understand that play can give children a way to process experiences that feel frightening or beyond their control.

“Children use play sometimes to take control of situations that are out of their control,” she explains.

How Does the College of Charleston Prepare Teachers to Use Play-Based Learning?

White brings her research and experience with play-based learning into her work with future educators at the College of Charleston. Students in the School of Education have opportunities to see early childhood education in practice through the College’s Nathan E. Miles Early Childhood Development Center.

Why Is Play Important for Adults, Too?

For adults, White says, play is more about experiencing a sense of “flow.”

“Flow really is like what you experience in free play, right? Like this loss of a sense of time, where you’re so absorbed in the activity and you’re so engaged and so excited about what you’re doing that you lose all sense of time,” she says, adding that play is beneficial whether you’re 5 or 55 years old. Play helps children learn, solve problems, build relationships and process emotions, and those benefits don’t necessarily end with childhood.

For adults, making room for play can mean finding the activities that absorb us, spark creativity and allow us to lose track of time.

Play-Based Learning FAQ_s

What is play-based learning?

Play-based learning is an approach that allows children to learn through play, exploration and experimentation. It gives them opportunities to solve problems, test ideas and make sense of the world around them. As College of Charleston teacher education professor Kelley White explains, play isn’t separate from learning; it’s one of the ways young children learn.

Why is play important in early childhood?

Play helps children develop problem-solving skills, navigate relationships, regulate emotions and process experiences. It also gives children opportunities to test ideas and make sense of situations they may not fully understand.

Why is play-based learning important?

Play-based learning allows children to develop academic, social and emotional skills through exploration rather than treating learning and play as separate activities.