As the world marks the International Day of Play on June 11, Ghana is reaffirming a simple but powerful message: play is not separate from learning; for young children, play is learning.
The Government of Ghana remains committed to strengthening quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Childhood Development (ECD), recognizing that the early years form the foundation for every child’s future success. Ghana is currently scaling up innovative approaches aimed at helping children learn, grow, and thrive from the earliest stages of life.
At the centre of this effort is Play-Based Learning (PBL), an approach that enables children to learn through exploration, creativity, movement, storytelling, games, and interaction. In play-based classrooms, children are not passive learners who simply memorise information. Instead, they actively build foundational skills such as early literacy, numeracy, communication, and problem-solving through engaging, hands-on experiences.
Research continues to show that play-based learning improves both academic outcomes and overall child development. It helps children develop confidence, curiosity, teamwork, resilience, and creativity—essential skills for success in school and beyond.
Quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) are critical because children’s brains develop most rapidly in the early years. Children who access quality early learning are more likely to succeed in primary school, remain engaged in education, and achieve better long-term outcomes. Strong foundations in the early years lead to stronger futures for children, families, and the nation.
This is why Ghana is taking bold action.
This year, the Government is scaling Play-Based Learning to all public kindergartens nationwide. About 30,000 kindergarten teachers are being trained in play-based teaching methods, fully aligned with the national curriculum. This marks a major milestone in ensuring that every young child, regardless of location, has access to joyful, inclusive, and effective learning experiences.
At the same time, Ghana is expanding a parental activation model that recognises an important truth: the home is a child’s first classroom, and parents and caregivers are their first teachers.
Simple activities such as storytelling, singing, counting household objects, drawing, and regular conversation can be integrated into everyday routines to significantly improve children’s learning and school readiness. Learning through play at home strengthens confidence, language development, and academic progress in both kindergarten and primary school, and can be easily practised by parents.
However, achieving quality early education is not the responsibility of government alone.
The Government is calling on parents and communities across the country to actively support learning through play by working closely with local schools and teachers. Parents are encouraged to attend PTA meetings, engage teachers, support play-based learning at home, and maintain regular communication on their children’s progress.
Communities can also support schools by contributing low-cost or no-cost materials for play-based learning. Items such as bottle tops, cardboard, fabric, sticks, clay, containers, and basic furniture like round tables and chairs can become valuable tools that help children explore and learn creatively. These materials can be used by teachers and parents to transform classrooms into engaging and stimulating learning environments.
By supporting schools, encouraging play at home, and valuing early learning, communities can help build the strong educational foundations every Ghanaian child deserves.
On this International Day of Play, Ghana proudly celebrates the rollout of play-based learning in all public kindergartens across the country. The Government looks forward to continuing to work hand in hand with teachers, parents, schools, and communities to harness the power of play—ensuring every child gets the strongest possible start in life.
Authored by the Ministry of Education, Ghana, with support from Sabre Education, Lively Minds, and Right To Play.
