In this episode, we offer an overview over the ideas contained in this (audio) book, share with you why we wrote the book in the first place, and why we think a pedagogy of play is the right frame for our ideas.

Join Firdous Ismail Karolia's 10- and 11-year-old students at Nova Pioneer Ormonde in Johannesburg, South Africa, as they engage in a playful two-part lesson on informational texts.

This episode begins with definitions of five key terms: play, playful, learning, playful learning, and culture. We then focus on our first question of why educators need a pedagogy of play and the six core principles that constitute our answer.

Explore student-composed schedules in this episode featuring science teacher Ole Jørgensen and co-facilitator Lene Christensen from the International School of Billund in Denmark. Discover the "What if?" that prompted a two-week break from traditional timetables for 11–15-year-olds. Hear about student reactions, challenges, and insights that reshaped learning dynamics and autonomy in the classroom.

In this chapter we take a step back from classrooms and schools and focus on the relationship between play and learning, providing a three-part explanation of how play supports learning.

In this Picture of Practice, we follow the journey of 9- and 10-year-olds at Colegio Unidad Pedagogica in Bogota, Colombia, as they embark on a year-long exploration of restaurants, leading to the creation of their very own.

In Chapter 3, we address the question of what playful learning looks and feels like. Our answer is shared in what we call “crosscultural indicators of playful learning.” We describe the research through which these indicators were developed and expand common notions of what playful learning involves.

In this episode, follow Kabezwane Chezi and Ntombifuthi Chiloane at Esikhisini Primary School in Pretoria, South Africa.

In this Picture of Practice, we delve into the story of high school students at Codman Academy in Boston, United States. Guided by humanities teacher Blair Baron, the episode unfolds an exploration where 17- and 18-year-old students confront issues of race, inequality, and injustice, focusing on the complexities of policing in America.

In Chapter 4, we discuss creating classroom cultures that support playful learning. We describe five core teaching practices that promote playful learning across grade levels and content areas and introduce the process of documentation. Documentation makes playful learning visible in order to shape and deepen learning.

In this episode, join Marina Benavente Barbón and Carolina Ayala, teachers at the International School of Billund in Denmark, as they navigate the challenges of enforcing numerous rules on the playground for their class of five-year-olds.

How can you support playful learning in the classroom, staffroom, and beyond? In this episode, we share five schoolwide practices, with accompanying strategies for fostering a school culture that enables playful learning to thrive.

In this Picture of Practice episode, we visit three online classrooms in Columbia during lockdowns due to the COVID epidemic.

In this Picture of Practice, we dive into the vibrant world of Jodi Krous's 3- and 4-year-old class at the Eliot School in Boston, USA. Every day, her young learners engage in storytelling/story acting, a unique approach adapted from Vivian Paley's methodology.

In this episode, we offer concluding thoughts on how to bring playful learning to all learners. We identify potential challenges when promoting playful learning, along with some “What if” possibilities for addressing them.

This week, it is time for a little Pedagogy of Play team meeting. Team members Mara Krechevsky, Jen Ryan, and Savhannah Schulz sit down to talk about some common questions and puzzles around playful learning in school. For example, how do you balance play and learning at school?