Why playful educators matter more than ever: an ECEC perspective

As Australia's early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector navigates unprecedented reform, it can be easy for conversations to become dominated by compliance, governance, child safety and regulatory change.

While these priorities are essential, a recent article from Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) serves as a timely reminder that one of the most powerful tools educators have has never changed: playfulness.

In its blog, The case for playful educators, CELA explores the role of educators who embrace curiosity, humour, imagination and joyful interactions as part of their everyday practice. Far from being an "extra", playfulness is presented as a professional capability that supports children's learning, relationships and wellbeing.

For the ECEC sector, the message is both timely and important.

Play is widely recognised as the foundation of children's learning, yet discussions often focus on children's play rather than the role educators themselves play within it.

A playful educator is not simply someone who entertains children.

Rather, they are professionals who intentionally use humour, curiosity, imagination and shared experiences to build relationships, extend learning and create environments where children feel safe to explore.

When educators enter children's play with authenticity and responsiveness, they model creativity, communication, problem-solving and emotional regulation.

These moments are not separate from teaching, they are teaching.

Research consistently shows that secure, responsive relationships are central to children's learning and development.

Playfulness strengthens those relationships.

Whether it is joining a child's imaginary game, sharing a laugh during a routine, or following a child's spontaneous curiosity, playful interactions communicate something powerful:

"I see you. I value your ideas. I'm interested in your world."

For young children, these interactions build trust, belonging and confidence, all essential foundations for learning.

This aligns closely with the Early Years Learning Framework, which positions secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships as fundamental to children's learning.

The early learning sector is experiencing significant change.

Across Australia, services are responding to strengthened child safety expectations, evolving regulatory requirements, workforce challenges and increasing community expectations around governance and quality.

These reforms are necessary and have rightly placed children's safety and wellbeing at the centre of sector improvement.

However, there is also a risk that increasing administrative demands unintentionally reduce opportunities for educators to engage in the very interactions that underpin high-quality practice.

Documentation, compliance and governance are critical, but they should support quality practice, not replace it.

The challenge for leaders is ensuring systems strengthen educators' ability to spend meaningful time with children, rather than drawing them away from those moments.

The benefits of playfulness are not limited to children.

Educators working in positive, playful environments often report greater job satisfaction, stronger relationships with colleagues and a deeper sense of purpose.

Moments of shared laughter, curiosity and creativity can help reduce stress and remind educators why they chose the profession.

In a sector where workforce attraction and retention remain ongoing challenges, fostering workplace cultures that value joy alongside professionalism may be more important than ever.

Professionalism and playfulness are not opposites.

In many respects, they reinforce one another.

Creating a playful culture is not solely the responsibility of educators.

Leadership plays a significant role in determining whether playfulness is encouraged or unintentionally crowded out by competing priorities.

Service leaders can support playful practice by:

• creating environments where educators feel confident to be creative and responsive
• recognising relationship-based practice as a marker of quality
• ensuring documentation expectations remain purposeful and proportionate
• celebrating curiosity, humour and children's ideas alongside compliance achievements
• providing opportunities for reflective practice about the role of play in learning.

When leaders model trust, curiosity and openness, educators are more likely to bring those same qualities into their work with children.

Playfulness should never be confused with a lack of professionalism.

On the contrary, intentional playfulness requires educators to observe carefully, respond thoughtfully and understand child development deeply.

Knowing when to step into children's play, when to step back and when to extend learning through shared exploration reflects sophisticated pedagogical practice.

It is these everyday moments, often small and seemingly ordinary, that help children develop confidence, resilience, language, creativity and a lifelong love of learning.

CELA's article is a valuable reminder that while policies, legislation and regulatory expectations will continue to evolve, the heart of early childhood education remains unchanged.

Children learn best through relationships.

Those relationships are strengthened when educators are curious, responsive and willing to enter children's worlds with genuine enthusiasm.

As the ECEC sector continues to strengthen governance, safety and accountability, maintaining environments where educators feel confident to laugh, wonder, imagine and play alongside children remains just as important.

Quality is not achieved by choosing between compliance and play.

The strongest services recognise that effective governance creates the conditions for joyful, responsive pedagogy to flourish, and that is where meaningful learning begins.

Reference

Community Early Learning Australia (CELA). (2026). The case for playful educators. Available here.