ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION In this unit, we are looking at the role of explorative learning and play. Although these are stressed in the curriculum documentation for the early years, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework (Department for Education 2012), as children get older and move through their primary education, these key elements for successful learning often receive far less attention then they deserve. This unit argues that it is vital to continue to promote a playful, explorative attitude to learning that promotes the essential learning capacities, such as independence, creative thinking, problem-solving and resilience, that children need for well-being now and success in the future. The best teachers use the ways of thinking encouraged by play and explorative learning to ensure that children are engaged and motivated to learn throughout the primary years and beyond.
