Initiative Description: Teachers attended 2 professional learning sessions prior to implementing their planned play-based learning experiences over a period of 8 weeks. The implementation protocol consisted of 1) providing the experiences when children were most cognitively alert (at the start of the sessions) 2) implementing play experiences at least 2x/week 3) using a range of real-world resources where possible. Data collection occurred at baseline (March/April 2015-16), immediate post (July/August 2015-16), and 3 months post intervention (November/December 2015-16).

Study Results: The intervention group created more wellbeing and sustainability knowledge connections than the waitlist control group.

Reference: Morris, H., Edwards, S., Cutter-Mackenzie, A., Rutherford, L., Williams-Smith, J., & Skouteris, H. (2018). Evaluating the impact of teacher-designed, wellbeing and sustainability play-based learning experiences on young children’s knowledge connections: A randomized trial. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood,43(4), 33-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.23965/AJEC.43.4.04

Level of Evidence: Very Good