Praise The Power Of Play: Early Intervention Benefits From Fun
Do you really know how effective play is as a learning tool in early intervention for special needs children? Read on to discover how play-based therapy transforms learning in ONE’s EIPIC programmes!
Role Playing for Communication Skills
“Beep boop! You need your repairs done!”
“Ouch! Are you doing maintenance for me? It’s painful.”
“Beep beep! I’m fixing your arm!”
I watched as a child at ONE Intervention Centre playfully tugged at his teacher’s arm, his eyes bright with excitement and a wide grin on his face. What seemed like simple pretend play was actually a powerful tool for communication and social interaction.
Across the room, there was a scene of controlled chaos—plastic toys scattered, scribbled worksheets left forgotten, colour pencils messily stuffed into a box. But amidst this, children were actively learning through play.
Recently, I had the great pleasure of sitting in for one of the early intervention sessions at ONE. Such lessons are based on play-based learning and tailored to children diagnosed with either autism, ADHD or both.
Alphabet Bingo: Learning Through Games
One of my favourite activities to observe is Alphabet Bingo, which is designed to strengthen letter recognition, vocabulary, and turn-taking skills.
How It Works:
- Each child has a bingo board with letters.
They call out a letter and name an animal that starts with it.
Finally, check if others have the same letter and celebrate small wins!
Learning Through Play:
While simple, Alphabet Bingo actually…
- Encourages phonemic awareness (e.g., “P” for Penguin)
- Reinforces social rules, like waiting for turns
- Builds confidence through fun, structured interaction
Despite gentle reminders to use “indoor voices,” the children’s enthusiasm was unstoppable—a testament to how engaging play can be.
A Small Detour: Alphabet Acorns
One day, a child decided to introduce his own twist to the lesson—Alphabet Acorns.
He held up an acorn and asked, “What letter is this?”
“I think that’s a Q,” I replied.
“What’s Q for?”
After some guessing, he proudly popped open the acorn to reveal a tiny queen figurine inside.
Even when I intentionally misread letters, my little teacher insisted on correcting me until I got them right. His persistence was a reminder of how valuable play-based learning is for reinforcing skills in a natural, engaging way.
Learning Through Play:
Easy, right? Not so much. The game actually trains ONE’s students in…
✅ Letter recognition
✅ Patience in teaching others
✅ Resilience in correcting mistakes
And all that from just a simple game! It’s amazing how effective play-based learning can be, isn’t it?
Back to Class: Colouring
Eventually, the student agreed to continue the planned lesson. He was to colour in a worksheet as instructed – yellow sun, green grass, blue birds.
Naturally, the ‘classwork’ was met with many tired groans and reluctance. To which, one of our volunteers only raised an eyebrow, “Okay, I’ll do it myself then. Isn’t this right?” he asked, colouring the sun a cheerful, startling green.
“That’s yellow, right? Aren’t I correct?”
I watched, hiding a laugh, as the student shrieked his anger at the appalling mistake.
Snatching up the pencil, he coloured his worksheet so aggressively that he needed to sharpen it afterwards.
Beyond the Classroom
When lessons transitioned to the playground, I saw another side of learning. The focus shifted to motor skills and spatial awareness. Through activities like:
- Playing catch (improving hand-eye coordination)
- Swinging (developing balance and endurance)
Actually, the children were unknowingly strengthening their muscles, stamina, and confidence—all through what seemed like simple play.
Therapeutic Play-Based Learning
Writing this, I can’t help but be amazed at the way the most complex lessons are broken down into easy play at ONE’s EIPIC session. But, it makes sense: Play is the earliest way in which children learn how to recognise the world around them.
For children with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders, this play-based learning is essential.
In short, playing is educational, expressive and – above all – entertaining.
Why Play-Based Learning Works
Consider: Alphabet Bingo seemed like a superficial part of the early intervention session. It appeared to be just a game that taught children how to recognise letters and name animals.
Yet, it also introduced the kids to the importance of taking turns. For example, when one would jump ahead of their turn to announce their letters, they would be chided by the teacher. “Wait for your friend to finish, first,” she’d say gently.
Alphabet Acorns, similarly, taught the child to be patient with others’ mistakes. As frustrated as he would get, he never gave up until I recited “Z, for zebra.”
At which, he made a triumphant braying noise, making the little plastic toy gallop through the air.
Why Play-Based Learning Matters
I am not, by any means, a teacher or a therapist. I do, however, understand that learning is not easy. Learning about something you don’t care for is difficult. And with a learning disability – like dyslexia? Or a neurodevelopmental disorder – like autism, or ADHD?
For these children, learning can feel overwhelming—almost impossible at times.
So, ONE Intervention Centre’s approach to learning is simple: It’s just play.
Play, to teach the children about empathy and respect. Play, so the children can learn about their surroundings. Play, to learn by heart.
What Experts Say About Play-based Learning
We’re not the only ones who think so. The Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Intervention recommends using play-based learning to introduce students to academic concepts, such as mathematics or literature.
Additionally, research has shown that guided play in play-based learning can increase the student’s motivation and sense of agency. That means that students are more likely to want to finish their work. This is because they feel that they can choose what they want to do rather than being forced to do something.
Pretty cool, huh?
Final Thoughts
Watching these children return from their playground session, grinning from ear to ear, I realized that learning should always feel this natural.
What did they learn today?
Kindness.
Patience.
Endurance.
Most importantly, learning doesn’t have to be a struggle. At ONE Intervention Centre, it’s just play.
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