The Project Approach emphasises play as the most valuable way for children’s learning, where play is natural and essential (Follari, 2009).

 

 The EYLF reinforces that play is the process where children learn about the world around them, exploring different contexts, environments, and situations (ADGE, 2022). This Approach englobes all the characteristics of a play-based philosophy, where play requires mental, physical, and verbal interactions with people, objects, or ideas. Children explore the world and discover ways to communicate and respond to events and people around them (Robinson et al., 2018). Play in a project approach provides educators with the appropriate circumstances to observe and gather context information for building and extending children’s knowledge based on their interests and needs (Follari, 2019). Children need adult guidance to reach their full learning potential, whereas in the project approach, the educator will scaffold their learning, using ideas that emerged from children’s interests to provide meaningful experiences in their own lives (Follari, 2019).

A play-based philosophy also supports children’s holistic development and learning, which in this approach, play is also used in favor of diverse formal academic learning (Robinson et al., 2018). The Project Approach outlines that play is not the only way to engage children in questioning, problem-solving, researching, and representing. It is through inquiry-based experiences that positive dispositions and feelings are promoted and strengthened (Follari, 2019). Although, the project combines play and deeper investigation to ensure greater engagement in developmentally appropriate ways of learning (Robinson et al., 2018).