Many parents of pre-school children wonder if their children are really learning when they see them playing, getting their hands dirty with paint, experimenting with water or acting out stories. Wouldn’t it be better if they were already memorising numbers or letters?
The concern is natural: we want the best for them. But what if such play were not a waste of time, but a powerful and natural way of learning?
IT'S NOT PLAY FOR PLAY'S SAKE: ACTIVE LEARNING CHANGES EVERYTHING
We know today, thanks to neuroscience and contemporary pedagogy, that children learn best when they have real experiences. They touch, feel, think, question and experience. Learning by doing is not a fad, but a methodology with decades of evidence behind it.
When learning is reduced to repetition or passive listening, the child loses motivation, understanding and autonomy. On the other hand, when they explore and construct knowledge for themselves, they become protagonists. What is learned is integrated in a meaningful and lasting way.
The risk of not applying this approach at an early age is clear: children who memorise but do not understand, who obey but do not express themselves, who wait for orders instead of taking the initiative.
WHAT IS LEARNING BY DOING AND WHY IS IT SO EFFECTIVE?
The concept of learning by doing, popularised by the philosopher and educator John Dewey, is based on a simple but revolutionary idea: knowledge is built through action.
According to the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate – of which Casvi Villaviciosa has been a part since the Infant stage – the most effective learning occurs when children investigate, experiment and solve real situations. This approach encourages critical thinking, creativity, curiosity and autonomy from the earliest years.
HOW DO WE APPLY LEARNING BY DOING IN CASVI VILLAVICIOSA?
In Casvi Villaviciosa preschool classrooms, learning by doing is a daily reality. It is not free play without purpose. It is about enquiries carefully designed by our teachers, in which each experience has a clear pedagogical intention.
MEANINGFUL ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
They paint, mould, dance or act out stories as a way of communicating what they feel and think.
MANIPULATIVE MATERIAL IN MATHEMATICS OR LANGUAGE
They use not only tokens, blocks, movable letters… They also use all kinds of objects in the environment to acquire abstract concepts in a concrete way.
EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL EDUCATION
They resolve conflicts, express emotions and collaborate with others through symbolic play and group dynamics.
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF FAMILIES
We organise workshops, talks, collaborative projects and spaces for dialogue with parents that reinforce experiential learning at home as well.
“Early childhood learning should focus on meaningful experiences that invite the child to explore, observe, question and act”.
CASVI VILLAVICIOSA: EDUCATION THAT STARTS WITH ACTION
At Casvi Villaviciosa International School, we believe that childhood is the most valuable stage of human development. That is why we are an International Baccalaureate school from the age of 3, with a methodology in which learning by doing is one of its fundamental pillars.
Our teachers are guides who design learning experiences that are stimulating, challenging and adapted to the pace of each child. Our spaces are designed as environments for exploration. And our families are an active part of the process.
Because it’s not just about children learning content. It is about them learning to think, to choose, to feel and to build their own path.
