Most teachers instinctively know that play is vital for children’s development. It helps them build friendships, burn off energy, and explore ideas in ways that textbooks alone can’t achieve. But with growing demands on curriculum time, increased use of technology, and rising pressure on schools to deliver academic results, play can sometimes feel like an afterthought.
The Balanced Play Pyramid is a simple tool to help parents, carers, and educators think about play in the same way we think about food. Just as children need a balanced diet to grow strong and healthy, they also need a balanced play diet to thrive.
Too much of one thing or too little of another can limit their growth. The Pyramid provides a framework to check that children are getting the right mix of play experiences, not just at home but in school as well.
In this article, I’ll explain how you can use the Pyramid in your classroom, with practical examples of activities that bring balance, support learning, and promote children’s all-round development.
The Pyramid has three dimensions:
Each layer is about balance. Some forms of play, like active, imaginative, social, child-led play, are the “superfoods.” Children can never really get too much of these.
Other forms, such as passive screen time, are more like the sweets and treats of a diet and should be rationed. The key is not to ban or overemphasise any one type but to make sure that across the day or week children get a healthy mix.
When used in schools, the Pyramid can help teachers:
These are the heart of the Pyramid. Child-led, open-ended activities help children develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills in ways that structured lessons cannot.
While not as “essential” as free play, these activities still bring great benefits when used in balance.
Screens are part of modern life, and they do have their place in the classroom. But they need to be used wisely and may be best reserved for learning activities rather than free play time.
Frame screen use as a tool, not a default. A class making a stop-motion animation is very different from passive video-watching.
The environment shapes the way children learn and play. A healthy balance includes outdoors, indoors, and on-the-go play.
Indoor settings allow for quieter, focused play.
Journeys and transitions can become playful learning moments.
Play is not just about activities, but about relationships.
The Pyramid encourages a balance of peer play, intergenerational play, and solitary play.
Adults bring different benefits—modelling behaviours, scaffolding learning, and encouraging new strategies.
Children also need time to explore on their own.
Teachers are already under pressure, so this isn’t about creating extra work. Instead, the Play Pyramid can help you make the most of what you’re already doing.
The Balanced Play Pyramid isn’t about squeezing in more play for the sake of it. It’s about using play as a tool to support children’s overall development. When children get the right balance:
Ultimately, a balanced play diet prepares children not just for exams, but for life.
As educators, you have an extraordinary opportunity to shape the way children experience play. By using the Balanced Play Pyramid in your classroom, you can make sure children get the right mix of activities, environments, and social experiences to help them thrive.
The Pyramid is not a rigid prescription. It’s a flexible guide, something you can return to when planning lessons, reflecting on the school day, or supporting individual children. Just as you’d encourage healthy eating habits, you can encourage healthy play habits. And in doing so, you’ll be giving your pupils the best possible foundation for learning, wellbeing, and lifelong success.
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