What if the most important learning happened at recess?
What if the most important learning happened at recess?
Not during math time. Not while reading a story. Not while filling in a worksheet.
But out on the playground, or sprawled on the floor with a pile of objects, completely absorbed in joy of their own making?
Stick with me here for a moment because I want us to have a talk about play. Seriously.
And I want to start by asking you something simple:
How would you describe play?
To me, play isn’t just an activity—it’s an energy. An energy of curiosity, joy, exploration. An energy of lightness. It’s how kids learn. And not by being told what to do, but by following what lights them up.
We know play is key to developing emotional, social, and thinking skills. But for autistic kids, play often shows up in ways that don’t always fit the mold. And that’s exactly why it’s worth paying attention to.
Let me tell you about a student I work with.
His parents once told me, “He has a superpower for turning anything into a fidget.”
And oh boy is it true! Give him a shoelace, a hardcover book, a football, or even a paperclip. Whatever it is, he will find a way to make it move, spin, bounce, or bend.
Now, to some adults, that might look like a problem to manage because it looks like a distraction from learning. But if we first softened our thinking to get curious instead of corrective, what else might we see?
But for me, I follow his lead and join in. Because as I do so, it helps me to wonder about:
What sensory feedback is he seeking?
What kind of problem-solving is happening as he bends objects and examines?
Is this his way of understanding the world—through texture, movement, rhythm and mechanics?
Then what if we shifted our perspective to see what he was doing as play?
What if fidgeting with items was also learning, regulation, communication, and connection all rolled into one?
Because when we look through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, we see that play isn’t a box to check. It’s a portal—into how a child thinks, feels, and relates to the world.
For this student, we witnessed how he can find a way to explore any ordinary object with such awe and joyful vigor (and how many people can say that?). Finding the different ways an item can move; how light shines off it in certain directions; exploring textures, weight, balance, and gravity; or the various sounds and tones it can make when it bounces off the palms of his hands. All of this done with purpose. His purpose.
So I want to invite you into a different way of seeing play.
✨ Not as a reward or break from learning.
✨ Not having to look a specific way.
✨ Not as a developmental benchmark to reach.
But as an invitation.
To follow their rhythm.
To witness without fixing.
To join first without intruding.
Because play isn’t just what kids do—it’s often who they are.
It’s their language. Their safety. Their spark.
So let’s stay curious. Let’s notice the moments that don’t look like play—but are.
Let’s wonder together:
What if the most important learning really does happen at recess?
And what would change if we treated it that way?
In the next post I’m going to share more about some common autistic play styles that I often see in my time supporting kids. And I’ll be curious to know if you recognize any of these play styles too.
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