Never, EVER, underestimate the importance of having fun!

Did you know that your child spends 1,274 hours at school each year? They spend more time (awake) with their peers and teachers than they do at home. While we are all well aware of the importance of education, I think we often overlook the importance of having fun. Taking that a step further, we also tend to separate the two: education and fun. We have this ingrained belief that school isn’t fun. I wholeheartedly disagree...school can be rigorous and fun simultaneously. I believe that we absolutely can incorporate fun into the classroom and lessons, so our students and teachers experience the joy of having fun throughout their day. Now, I know this school year can look different at times. I still wholeheartedly believe that we can still instill fun into our classrooms.

Teachers understand the importance of incorporating fun into their classrooms now more than ever. They are intentionally building units and lessons that foster curiosity, student voice and choice which increase engagement. Having fun and interactive learning improves learning and creates a positive attitude toward learning. But why does this happen? Why does having fun, enjoyment, engagement, curiosity, and liveliness improve the learning experience? And more generally, why does a good mood enhance our ability to learn? Here is what we do know. Incorporating fun into classroom learning reduces the rigidity of the curriculum which allows for more student-autonomy. It gives a sense of agency to the students. We have an innate need for growth which comes easily if there is autonomy, relatability, and a sense of competence. Fun and play allows for students to maximize all three.

This past Friday, February 3, we celebrated the Global School Play Day. This holiday promotes the importance of unstructured, regular play for children. The campaign was started by a group of six educators in 2015. They realized that playtime for children was decreasing both at home and in school, leading to negative consequences for the children’s development. They immediately took action and initiated Global School Play Day, with over 65,000 children participating in its very first year.

Here is the feedback we received after our morning of play…

A huge success, with complete engagement in and buy-in from every student who was there. Thank you for setting this up, it was so easy.
Our class had so much fun! Thanks to T20 and counselors for putting this together!
They especially loved the exit where they had to run low through the hall!
They had so much fun and want to do it again!! They said it really helped their brains turn on for the first class and it was true! I noticed a big difference in that first class.