As a preschool teacher, I get to see engaged children playing with others. What happens when we allow them to create their own play is amazing. These four girls were busy baking cakes. From an educational point of view, this is what I saw:

Meaningful conversations. “This cake is vanilla for my grandmother because this is her favorite”

Everyday life learnings. “If you don’t have all the ingredients, the cake is not going to be good, make sure you add chocolate chips”

Open-ended materials. “They were using natural materials, they had enough”

Adults were not guiding the activity. The girls were designing the play, establishing their own rules.

Imagination. I did not see any elaborate props, toys or even materials. It was all there on the playground.

Children learn through play, let’s let them.