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How confident do you feel integrating content learning into children鈥檚 play? Have you ever felt pressured to replace play with direct instruction in math, literacy, and science?

Preschool educators often wonder how play and academic content can come together in developmentally appropriate ways. As described in the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) position statement and fourth edition book, 51吃瓜网 encourages educators to engage in 鈥渂oth/and鈥� thinking. Viewing playful learning as a spectrum means that there is room for both. Early childhood educators can tap into different types of play and playful learning to 鈥渂uild academic language, deepen conceptual development, and support reflective and intentional approaches to learning鈥攁ll of which add up to effective strategies for long-term success.鈥�

This issue of听Teaching Young Children听offers articles and features filled with recommended strategies, activities, and materials to connect play and content learning throughout the preschool day.

You鈥檒l read about playful, integrated learning in two different settings in 鈥� 鈥楬ow Do You Spell Butterfly?鈥� Connecting Play to Content Learning鈥� and 鈥淎 Wormery Spurs an Inquiry: Worms Throughout the Curriculum.鈥� Delve into STEAM areas in 鈥淟earning Together: Collaborative, Play-Based STEAM Practices in the COVID Era鈥� and 鈥淪nack Math: Ideas You Can Taste!鈥�

Also, don鈥檛 miss a Now Read This about using sentence stems to support children鈥檚 language during read alouds. And consider 鈥淚n Our Voices: Creating Community Responsive Listening Centers鈥� in your own setting. Along with fostering playful content learning, reflect on 鈥淐reating Anti-Racist Early Childhood Spaces鈥� as it relates to your setting鈥檚 curriculum, teaching, and learning environment.

Reflection Questions for This Issue

1. What questions or pressures do you face about play and academic learning in your setting? How might the strategies and activities described in this issue help you address those questions or pressures?
2. In what ways is your setting already connected to the local community? What new or additional steps might you take to gather and use community responsive materials, such as in a listening center?
3. How do you advance equity in your preschool classroom? What is one concrete step you can take to ensure your space is safe and welcoming for each and every child?

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