Why play-based learning in Grade R is more critical than you think. Along with being a bridge to ‘big school’, with the right approach, Grade R is where a confident child thrives

A child secure in their self-esteem finds it easy to make friends, is independent, embraces new things, asks for help, and takes change in their stride. In fact, a 2015 study by the University of Washington found that children’s self-esteem is already established when they are five, and is comparable in strength to that of adults. So, building confidence at a young age not only sets them up for successful schooling, but also for life. By the time your child leaves preschool and enters Grade 1, it’s crucial that both their body and mind are ready to take on the world of symbols and numbers. The bridge linking these worlds – Grade R – is the optimal year to build a child’s confidence holistically through an aspect that’s often overlooked: play.

Countless studies show the benefits of play. Well-documented U.S. research found that children that don’t play when they are young may grow into anxious, socially maladjusted adults, while a 2019 academic paper entitled Toward a South African Pedagogy of Play, found that play-based learning helps children identify problems and imagine solutions, form new connections between people and ideas, negotiate and collaborate, take risks by learning from mistakes, and crucially, build confidence.

According to Susan Burgess, Foundation Phase Curriculum Manager at the independent education provider Curro Holdings, by the time children enter Grade R, parents prefer them to do more formal activities, like sitting at a desk and completing worksheets, when their bodies are not yet ready to hold a pencil or even sit still. Rather, says Burgess, children should already have engaged in plenty of movement during their preschool years. She adds that while some five- or six-year-olds are able to handle formal activities, others are not ready to do so yet, which then often impacts their confidence.

To help address this, Curro takes a play-based learning approach in their enriched, national CAPS-based Grade R curriculum. This approach focuses on allowing children to create and investigate through play and movement, which helps them develop critical physical and perceptual skills, like core strength and listening, in order to fully prepare them for Grade 1. By balancing play-based learning with formal activities in Grade R – the all-important first year of a child’s Foundation Phase – Curro ultimately embodies a confidence-building approach.

“Grade R is the start of everything,” emphasises Burgess. “At Curro, the first two terms of Grade R focus on getting the body ready through playful movements like balance and climbing. By the third and fourth terms we slowly introduce more formal activities and develop skills like emergent reading. At Curro, we use a play-based auditory programme that prepares children for Grade 1 reading through teaching them how to manipulate sounds in spoken words. Our activities are also aimed at developing mathematics. Here we utilise a problem-centred numeracy programme focusing on working with real-world objects. We also aim to develop computational thinking and robotics. All of this is  introduced through play.”

“Grade Rs have a whole year of development in front of them, and they are all on their own journey. These journeys, however, differ from one child to another, for example, some children are unable to differentiate between certain sounds, while others have a weak core strength. When they are compared to those who have already developed these areas, it’s like comparing a fish to its ability to climb a tree. Play-based learning, however, benefits everyone: it helps those who might be struggling in certain areas and strengthens those who are ahead,” she says.

With Parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education having concluded public consultations for the new Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, compulsory Grade R is set to be signed into law*. When this will happen is still speculation, but government policy states you must enrol your child in a school between 1 August and 31 September the year before they start school.

“Government policy states that a child must enter formal schooling – that’s Grade 1 – in the year they turn seven, but if their birthday is before 30 June, they can start Grade 1 when they’re five-and-a-half,” says Burgess. “This isn’t recommended, but every child should be looked at individually. Most children will benefit from starting Grade 1 when they turn seven – so, this means the best age to start Grade R is when they’re five, turning six.” “Grade R is like a series of stepping on stones in a river, each representing a different aspect of a child’s development. With a play-based approach, by the time they get to Grade 1, they feel ready, and that becomes a confident child,” concludes Burgess.