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Before this unit, I saw play mostly as a form of recreation, something done by children or adults during sports and hobbies. It felt separate from my daily adult responsibilities. However, this unit has reshaped my understanding. I now recognise play as a dynamic and ongoing process embedded in everyday life. It exists in our curiosity, problem-solving, reflection, and even daily routines. Play is not just enjoyment, t’s how we think, express ourselves, and grow.

Malaguzzi’s (2022) concept of the hundred languages helped me realise that play takes many forms—visual, spatial, verbal, digital. In my own life, cooking, organising, or using technology now feel like playful engagements rather than routine tasks.

The EYLF (ACECQA, 2022) further deepened this view. Its Practice of Learning through Play recognises that learning is richest when active, meaningful, and joyful. Through Outcome 4, I connected to the idea that play builds inquiry and creativity, traits I now notice in myself. The Principle of Respect for Diversity helped me reflect on how culture and context shape the way I play and learn.

What stood out most was how EYLF embraces all types of play: child-directed, guided, and adult-led. I now see how my experiences fall along this spectrum—sometimes I experiment freely (child-directed), sometimes I use tools with prior knowledge (guided), and sometimes I follow structured tasks like recipes (adult-led). This interplay shapes how I engage with the world.

As Holdom (2018) notes, science and technology are already embedded in everyday routines. This helped me to see my adult play as deeply educational, reflective, and culturally informed.

Now, I view play as a lens to interpret my own life—revealing meaning in moments once overlooked.

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🛒  Everyday Mathematical Play – Grocery Shopping 

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🛒  Everyday Mathematical Play – Grocery Shopping 

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Before leaving for the supermarket, I listed my grocery needs using the notes app on my phone, mentally estimating how much I could afford to spend. This task may seem routine, but I found myself prioritising items based on price and necessity. It became a small act of planning and estimation. This aligns with the VEYLDF’s description of numeracy as embedded in everyday life (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2009) and supports the EYLF’s view that problem-solving and mathematical thinking emerge naturally during real-life decision-making (ACECQA, 2022). As Gray (2008) notes, play is self-directed and free from pressure, qualities that reflect how I engaged with this budget planning process.

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Which  carrots are cheaper? Playing with value and quantity

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1.2 Comparing Prices – Loose vs. Packaged Produce 

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1.2 Comparing Prices – Loose vs. Packaged Produce 

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In the fresh produce section, I compared loose carrots and with their pre-packaged versions. While the loose items were priced per kilogram, the bags were priced per unit. I found myself calculating price-per-kilo values and estimating how many carrots I get for each price. This small decision-making process felt playful and empowering. It reflects Malaguzzi’s (2022) idea of multiple “languages” of learning, logical reasoning, visual analysis, and tactile engagement and mirrors the EYLF’s emphasis on noticing patterns and solving problems during everyday experiences (ACECQA, 2022).

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Using a scale to predict cost based on weight, hands-on measurement

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1.3 Weighting carrots                                                                        

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1.3 Weighting carrots                                                                        

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I picked up three to four carrots and tried to guess the cost before placing them on the scale. Estimating their weight and multiplying by the price per kilo became a personal game of accuracy—surprisingly fun and mentally engaging. Gray (2008) defines play as alert, active, and voluntary engagement without stress, which perfectly captures this moment. This everyday task reflected informal mathematical thinking aligned with EYLF Outcome 4, promoting confident, involved learners through problem-solving and inquiry (ACECQA, 2022). Similarly, the VEYLDF supports numeracy as part of real-world thinking, reasoning

and counting (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2009). Though informal, this was a clear moment of applied mathematical learning

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Fitting items efficiently: practical spatial reasoning in action

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As my trolley filled up, I reorganised items to optimise space. I rotated and rearranged bulky packages, mentally calculating how to stack them to avoid damage and maximise fit. This spontaneous task involved spatial reasoning, estimation, and geometric thinking. The VEYLDF recognises that numeracy includes understanding measurements, positions, and spatial awareness (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2009). This moment also reflects Malaguzzi’s (2022) belief that movement and space are powerful “languages” through which learning and reasoning emerge in daily life.

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🍳 Everyday Technological Play – Cooking at Home

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🍳 Everyday Technological Play – Cooking at Home

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Using a smart rice cooker to cook white rice with one touch

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2.1 Electric Rice Cooker – Choosing the Right Setting

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2.1 Electric Rice Cooker – Choosing the Right Setting

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Pressing the “white rice” button, my rice cooker automatically adjusted time and temperature. What once felt routine now appears playful through the lens of technology. This experience exemplifies what Edwards et al. (2018) describe as purposeful digital engagement, selecting and trusting a device to complete a task. Although simple, this choice involved prior knowledge and confidence with the machine. Similarly, Gray (2008) views play as mentally active and self-directed; I was not passively pressing a button but, applying past experiences to make the process efficient and successful.

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Setting the air fryer to achieve crispy results

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2.2 Air Fryer – Adjusting Time and Temperature for Chicken Tenders

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2.2 Air Fryer – Adjusting Time and Temperature for Chicken Tenders

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Using the air fryer allowed me to experiment with different settings, adjust time and heat, and anticipate texture. This form of playful trial-and-error is what Holdom (2018) suggests is embedded STEM learning, engaging in technological routines to test outcomes and refine decisions. Here, technology became a space for problem-solving and curiosity. Malaguzzi’s (2022) concept of the “hundred languages” of expression also fits, this was tactile, sensory, and digital learning intertwined.

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🌿 Everyday Scientific Play – Evening Nature Walk

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🌿 Everyday Scientific Play – Evening Nature Walk

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Noticing the biodiversity around me on a peaceful evening walk

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As I began my walk in the nearby park, I paused to observe birds and various types of trees. These observations, while ordinary, sparked a sense of scientific curiosity within me. I was engaging with biology and ecology, noticing species diversity and how living things interact in their habitat. This connects with EYLF Outcome 2, which encourages understanding the interdependence between people, plants, animals, and the land (ACECQA, 2022). Campbell and Speldewinde (2020) explain that “science learning can relate to skills or early observations of science phenomenon, where learners explore and make sense of the world around them.” My walk reflected this quiet moments became meaningful opportunities to observe, question, and engage.

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The evening light faded, and the cool air settled in

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The walk began in daylight but ended under a dusky sky, with cooler air wrapping around me. I felt the environmental change physically and visually how the sunset shifted colour gradients in the sky and the temperature became more chilling. This was my personal exploration of physics and meteorology, observing how natural elements change and affect our experience. Gray (2008) argues that play is a space for mentally active engagement, and this moment felt just like that: spontaneous and intellectually stimulating. It deepened my awareness of natural cycles and how our bodies respond to subtle environmental cues.

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Checking my step count and heart rate to monitor my progress

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3.3 Tracking Steps and Heart Rate Using My Watch

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3.3 Tracking Steps and Heart Rate Using My Watch

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Halfway through, I glanced at my smartwatch to see my step count and heart rate. This sparked a moment of curiosity: how does pace affect my heart rate? I adjusted my speed and checked again, turning a simple action into a mini-experiment. This was my way of exploring data science, biology, and self-regulation through technology. As Holdom (2018) notes, science emerges through inquiry and experimentation. EYLF Outcome 4 encourages learners to experiment with tools and technologies to explore ideas and solve problems (ACECQA, 2022). This interaction showed me how personal technology can support playful scientific thinking.

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Refuelling with coconut water and thinking about hydration and electrolytes

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As I rehydrated with coconut water, I reflected on its electrolyte content, something I learned help in energy boost. This everyday act held a biological and nutritional science layer, my body needed fuel to maintain balance. EYLF Outcome 3 encourages "sense of wellbeing" including understanding bodily needs (ACECQA, 2022). By noticing how I felt before and after drinking, I tuned into the science of hydration and regulation. As Vandermaas-Peeler & McClain (2015) observe, science learning often stems from real-world interactions like this, where bodily awareness and environment connect.

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When I go for walks at Edwards Lake Park in Reservoir, I often feel calm and connected to nature. But after reading Stolen Land by Ambelin Kwaymullina (2020), I’ve started to see the land differently. I now realise this peaceful place is part of Aboriginal land that was never given up. It always was and still is Country cared for by the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people.

The poem helped me understand that being a non-Indigenous person living here means I’m part of a system where settlers came and stayed, often through violence and harm. One line that really stood out to me said, “two different worlds now exist in the same space”. This made me think about how I go about my daily life, shopping, cooking, walking, without always recognising the deeper story of this land.

Now I’m starting to notice more. The trees, the birds, even the paths I walk on are part of a much older story, one of survival, culture, and resistance. I feel a responsibility to not ignore that anymore.

From Dadirri, I’ve learned about deep listening sitting quietly, paying attention, and respecting what the land and people have to say (Ungunmerr, 1988). This made me think about how I should act and think with more care and awareness.

For me, that means acknowledging the Traditional Owners, learning about the Country I live on, and finding small ways to support Indigenous communities. Even though I can’t change the past, I can choose to be more respectful and active in the present.

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ACECQA. (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia (V2.0). In ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Campbell, C., & Speldewinde, C. (2020). Affordances for science learning in “bush kinders”. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 28(3). http://search.proquest.com/shibboleth/scholarly-journals/affordances-science-learning-bush-kinders/docview/2473487407/se-2

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2009).

Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework For all Children from Birth to Eight Years. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/health/veyldframework.pdf

Edwards, S., Straker, L., & Oakey, H. (2018). Early Childhood Australia: Statement on young children and digital technologies. Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies, 1(1). http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Digital-policy-statement.pdf

Gray, P. (2008). The Value of Play I: The Definition of Play Gives Insights. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/freedom-learn/200811/the-value-play-i-the-definition-play-gives-insights

Holdom, J. (2018). Science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning through the lens of Te Whāriki. https://www.hekupu.ac.nz/article/science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-learning-through-lens-te-whariki-he-whariki

Kwaymullina, A. (2020). Living on stolen land (pp. 3–6). Magabala Books.

Ungunmerr, M.-R. (1988). Dadirri: Inner deep listening and quiet still awareness. https://www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Dadirri_Handout.pdf

Vandermaas-Peeler, M., & McClain, C. M. (2015). The green bean has to be longer than your thumb: An observational study of preschoolers’ math and science experiences in a garden. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 3(1), 8–27

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Using an electric grater to quickly shred carrots

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2.3 Slicing Carrots with an Electric Slicer

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2.3 Slicing Carrots with an Electric Slicer

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Slicing carrots with an electric slicer turned a routine task into playful engagement with everyday technology. It supported problem-solving and coordination, reflecting how technology extends human ability (Edwards et al., 2018) and enables sensory expression, aligning with Malaguzzi’s (2022) idea of learning through motion and hands-on interaction.

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Preparing vegetables and curries with basic tools

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2.4 Using Knife, Spoons, Pans, and Gas Stove

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2.4 Using Knife, Spoons, Pans, and Gas Stove

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Cooking with tools like, knives, gas stove, spoons was rhythmic and embodied. Even without digital elements, this was still technological play. These tools required skill, adaptation, and decision-making. As Malaguzzi (2022) implies, expression doesn’t require screens; it emerges through touch, motion, and repetition.