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Before lessons, standards, or assessments, schools communicate powerful messages about value, pace, and priority. This post explores mattering as the quiet curriculum shaping learning environments—often long before teaching formally starts.

In too many schools, teaching has shifted from a creative, human-centered craft to an assembly-line process driven by scripts, pacing guides, and test scores. In this piece, Mei reflects on what is lost—joy, agency, curiosity—when teachers are treated like machines and students like products. She makes a powerful case for reclaiming space to create, play, and teach with purpose again.

As the holiday rush approaches, classrooms get louder, faster, and more demanding. In this reflective piece, educator Justin Spencer invites us to consider the power of everyday retreats—small, intentional pauses that help both students and teachers reconnect, breathe, and reclaim joy.

In this post, Karyn Allee and Stephanie Moore reflect on how they used play in professional learning about play—turning research into joyful, hands-on experience at the 2025 GATESOL Annual Conference. Explore their Play Challenge resources, see how they structured the session, and take on their #PlayItForwardJLC challenge to bring playful learning into your own teaching or professional development.

In this post, Stephanie Moore explores how purposeful play bridges research and classroom practice—showing how cognitive, linguistic, and social learning come together to support multilingual learners through joyful, authentic experiences.

Between the laughter of a preschool classroom and the glow of a college lecture hall, joy too often disappears. In this reflection, Johna Wright invites us to reimagine higher education through the lens of play, belonging, and access—reminding us that the preschool lessons we’ve forgotten may be the ones we need most.

“Smart, Not Soft: The Academic Power of Play” explores what research shows: play fuels the development of key academic and life skills—like self-regulation, language, and executive function. Learn why play belongs at the heart of serious education reform.

“As teachers strive to help multilingual students achieve English proficiency, they must consider the possibility that the path to proficiency might not be found in drills, but in joyful and intentional play. Creating playful spaces for multilingual learners honors their voices, builds bridges across cultures, and reminds every child that school is a place where joy and belonging matter.”

In this powerful reflection, Dr. Amanda Price explores how emotional missteps can become moments of rehearsal and growth—linking early childhood dramatic play with self-regulation in adult learners.

In many classrooms, play is treated as a break, not the learning itself. But what if play was central to how we prepare teachers? This post explores why teacher prep programs must embed play not just for young learners, but across elementary education. Because if we want teachers to foster curiosity and joy, shouldn’t we prepare them in the same spirit?

In an age of screens and digital shortcuts, Dr. Mei Tran reminds us why play still matters. This post calls on educators and communities to protect space for curiosity, collaboration, and joyful learning in today’s tech-driven classrooms.

Some states aren’t just talking about early learning—they’re backing it with policy. From Connecticut to Oklahoma, public schools are...

What families and educators can do (for free!) to support child development through play “What are we supposed to do — just play?” I...

When technical education students step into a lab space, something surprising happens—joyful learning takes center stage. In this post, Amanda explores what happens when adults reengage with the kind of learning we too often leave behind in childhood: playful, imaginative, and deeply effective.

Policy matters. Here’s how leaders can create the conditions for play-based learning to thrive in every public school.

The Week of the Young Child (WOYC25) is more than a celebration—it’s a call to action! At the Joyful Learning Collaborative (JLC), we believe that joyful, play-based learning is essential for every child’s development. In this post, we explore how WOYC25’s themes highlight the power of hands-on, engaging learning experiences and share ways educators, families, and advocates can take action beyond this week. Join the conversation and help us champion joyful learning for all ch

Science is clear: Play shapes the brain, builds social skills, and fuels lifelong learning… It’s not a luxury—it’s a necessity!

High-stakes testing is failing US students. Learn why play-based learning is key to closing gaps and reversing declining outcomes.