Playful Learning

I help educators, and the schools they work in, turn play into learning that is joyful and rigorous in equal measure. Grounded in research and more than twenty-five years in preschool through third grade classrooms, my work is built to be used right away. Whether you are looking for a single workshop, ongoing coaching, or a district-wide rollout, the goal is the same: classrooms where children learn deeply through play, and teachers who feel confident and energized leading playful learning. 

About

I am a Playsavers partner and a playful learning coach with the Playful Learning Institute in Boston, MA. With more than twenty-five years of classroom experience spanning preschool through third grade in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, I am licensed in early childhood education for children with and without disabilities and am a certified arts integration specialist and coach. I specialized in guided play as an early learning coach with the University of New Hampshire Early Childhood Coaching Initiative, and have held roles as an adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire and Southern New Hampshire University.

I earned my PhD in Educational Studies from Lesley University, where my mixed-methods research examined how a pedagogy of play shapes kindergarten teachers' professional identity, well-being, and self-efficacy. That work received the 2024 NAECTE Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Award. I am a co-author of Guided Play Principles and Practices, Pre-K to 3: A Framework for Rekindling Joy and Meeting Learning Goals. I have presented at national and international conferences, including the US Play Coalition and the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM.

My approach centers on teacher growth through reflective practice and collaborative professional learning. I design and facilitate professional development that is joyful and rigorous in equal measure, helping educators create meaningful, creative, and playful learning experiences for their students.

Coaching

I believe the best growth comes from within the teacher. Through observation and reflective coaching cycles, co-planning, and guided self-reflection, I help educators find their own next steps and act on them. My coaching makes playful learning intentional, documented, and sustainable in real classrooms. A good coach does not hand teachers answers. I help teachers find the answers within themselves.

Consulting

For programs and districts ready to make playful learning a system rather than a single event, I partner with leaders and teams to design and scale it. Together we build the vision and goals, shape the classroom model and the environments, and put in place the look-fors and documentation that make learning visible. From there the work grows through ongoing professional development, in-class modeling of lessons, peer observation and coaching cycles, and the scope-and-sequence and planning that keep playful learning sustainable across campuses. The result is teachers who feel confident leading play and leaders who can see it working.

Arts Integration

I am also a certified arts integration specialist and coach. For schools that want to deepen the arts, I offer arts integration coaching, professional development, and consultation, including in-class modeling, teaching-artist partnerships, and school-wide arts exhibits and celebrations, all grounded in the same playful, child-centered approach.

Workshops and Professional Development

Each session is hands-on and research-based, and built so educators leave with something they can use the next day. Sessions are adaptable in length, from a 60 to 90 minute workshop to a half-day, full-day, or a multi-session series.

At a glance:

The Educator's Roles as Facilitator of Playful Learning

   Planner, observer, model, participant, researcher: the five roles that bring playful learning to life.

A Three-Part Framework for Guided Play (Dubois-Garofalo et al., 2026)

   A practical, research-based structure for guided play, Pre-K to grade 3.

Building Creativity through Playful Learning

   How play sparks the divergent thinking that creativity depends on.

The Third Teacher: Designing Environments and Invitations for Playful Learning

   Construct spaces and invitations where every child belongs and dives into play.

Get in the Flow: Playful Learning with Loose Parts and Open-Ended Materials

   Open-ended materials pull children into deeply engaged, creative play.

How Do I Show They're Learning? Connecting Playful Learning to Curriculum Goals

   Show the curriculum standards living inside children's play, with confidence.

Barriers and Bridges: Advocating for Playful Learning (Dubois-Garofalo et al., 2026)

   Build the confidence and language to defend play in your educational setting to anyone who asks. 

Permission to Play: Evidence-based Self-care for Educators

   Reclaim play as restorative self-care, and carry that renewed energy back to your classroom.

Workshop descriptions:

The Educator's Roles as Facilitator of Playful Learning

Playful learning asks an educator to move fluidly among several intentional roles, and this session brings each one to life. A Planner designs play invitations and prepares an environment that sparks children's curiosity and creative thinking. An Observer watches children closely and uncovers their strengths and developing inquiries that guide next steps. A Model demonstrates for children how to enter play, solve problems, and communicate with one another. An Active Participant wonders and imagines alongside them, inviting deeper thinking with responsive language like "I notice" and "I wonder what would happen if." And a Researcher reads each child's development in the moment, documents their learning through photos, video, and scribing their stories, and plans what comes next. Throughout, children take the lead, and the educator's art lies in knowing which role the moment calls for and stepping into each one with intention and confidence.

Participants will:

- Identify the five roles of the educator in playful learning: planner, observer, model, active participant, and researcher

- Practice responsive language and questioning that extend children's thinking without taking over

- Use observation and documentation to plan invitations and make children's learning visible

A Three-Part Framework for Guided Play (Dubois-Garofalo et al., 2026)

Guided play sits between free play and direct instruction, balancing children's agency with the teacher's intention, and it is where some of the richest learning happens. Drawing on the framework from the book, Guided Play Principles and Practices, Pre-K to 3 (DuBois-Garofalo et al., 2026), this session walks educators through the three parts of a guided play experience: the Pre-Play Gathering that ignites children's thinking, Active Guided Play where children explore with responsive support, and the After-Play Gathering where reflection and peer feedback deepen the learning. You experience the full arc through a hands-on activity and leave with a structure you can use across Pre-K to grade 3.

Participants will:

- Understand the three parts of the framework: pre-play gathering, active guided play, and after-play gathering

- Experience the framework firsthand through a hands-on activity

- Practice the teacher's role and responsive language at each phase

Building Creativity through Playful Learning

Creativity is a capacity that grows, and play is one of its most powerful engines. Research has found that children's pretend play predicts divergent thinking, and that a stretch of open-ended play can lift creativity on the very next task, even an unrelated one (Russ; Howard-Jones). In this hands-on session, educators experience how open-ended play primes creative thinking, then learn to design experiences and ask questions that help children generate, combine, and transform ideas. You leave with practical ways to make your classroom a place where original thinking is expected and nurtured.

Participants will:

- Understand how play fuels children's creativity and divergent thinking

- Experience the link between open-ended play and creative problem-solving

- Design playful experiences and questions that nurture original thinking

The Third Teacher: Designing Environments and Invitations for Playful Learning

The classroom environment is often called the third teacher, a phrase from the Reggio Emilia tradition, because the way space and materials are arranged quietly shapes how children play, think, and belong. Beyond the room itself, the invitations we set out, the carefully chosen materials and provocations, tell children what is possible here. In this session, educators learn to read their own classrooms with fresh eyes and design both environments and invitations that help every child feel a sense of belonging and settle into deep, independent play. You leave with a reflective audit for your own room and concrete ideas to put to work right away.

Participants will:

- Understand how the environment shapes children's belonging and learning

- Use a reflective audit to evaluate their own classroom space

- Design environments and invitations that invite belonging and playful learning

Get in the Flow: Playful Learning with Loose Parts and Open-Ended Materials

The right materials open children's play, and the wrong ones quietly close it. Drawing on Simon Nicholson's theory of loose parts, this hands-on session invites educators to explore open-ended materials such as buttons, blocks, fabric, and found objects that children can combine and transform in endless ways. You experience how these materials pull children into deep, absorbed engagement, the kind of flow where learning feels effortless, and you leave with practical ways to curate and rotate materials across every area of your classroom.

Participants will:

- Understand the creative power of loose parts and open-ended materials

- Experience open-ended materials as a learner

- Plan how to curate and rotate materials in their own setting

How Do I Show They're Learning? Connecting Playful Learning to Curriculum Goals

Every teacher who embraces play eventually faces the question, often from an administrator or a parent: how do I show they are actually learning? This session answers it. Educators learn to see the standards already living inside children's play, to document learning as it happens through observation, photographs, and children's own words, and to connect playful experiences to curriculum goals in ways that hold up to scrutiny. You leave with practical tools for making learning visible and for telling the story of what play accomplishes.

Participants will:

- Recognize the curriculum goals and standards embedded in children's play

- Use observation and documentation to make learning visible

- Connect playful learning to curriculum requirements with confidence

Barriers and Bridges: Advocating for Playful Learning

Educators who believe in play often struggle to defend it to administrators, families, and policymakers. Drawing on the barriers and bridges framework from our book, Guided Play Principles and Practices, Pre-K to 3 (DuBois-Garofalo, 2026, Teachers College Press), this interactive session builds both your confidence and your language for advocacy. You map your key stakeholders, name the common barriers to playful learning, such as accountability pressures and misconceptions about play, and design the bridges that overcome them. You leave with documentation strategies and an elevator pitch for play that is genuinely your own.

Participants will:

- Identify key stakeholders and the common barriers to playful learning

- Develop evidence-based bridges and documentation strategies for each barrier

- Craft and practice a personal elevator pitch for play

Permission to Play: Evidence-based Self-care for Educators

Drawing on play pioneer Brian Sutton-Smith's insight that "the opposite of play is depression," this interactive workshop explores how integrating playfulness enhances wellbeing, creativity, and cognitive function, for both educators and their students. Designed for teachers, administrators, and support staff, participants discover their unique "play personalities," engage in classroom-adaptable play activities, and develop strategies to incorporate play as a restorative practice that combats educator burnout while enriching the learning environment.

Participants will:

- Understand the neurological and psychological benefits of play for educator wellbeing and student engagement

- Experience firsthand how different forms of play can reduce teacher stress and spark classroom creativity

- Develop practical strategies for integrating playful approaches into curriculum, professional development, and self-care routines

- Identify personal play preferences and styles through the "play personality" framework to model joyful learning

What Educators Say

Her ability to work effectively and collaborate with teachers of all levels of experience and backgrounds is outstanding.

Jennifer understands the challenges facing schools today and brings an approach that enhances education for students, educators, and entire school communities.

This has been one of the most rewarding PD experiences I have ever attended.

My coach helped me use the arts to listen to children, and my reward is seeing their joy in discovering something new and wanting to share it with others.

Work With Me

Ready to bring playful learning to your classroom, school, or district? 

Let's talk!

Contact:  Dr. Jennifer Berube      jenniferberube0@gmail.com       603-943-2343