The ABCs of Active Learning: Why Movement Matters
What if learning the alphabet didn’t mean sitting still with a pencil?
What if math skills could be built through play, movement, and sensory exploration?
In early childhood classrooms across BC and beyond, educators are rediscovering what children have always known: we learn best by doing. From preschool through the early primary years, play-based and kinesthetic learning isn’t just helpful—it’s foundational. Especially for neurodivergent learners, it can make the difference between frustration and success.
At Autumn Fraser, everything I design is built on this belief. But this isn’t just about toys. It’s about shifting how we see learning itself.
What Is Play-Based and Kinesthetic Learning?
Play-based learning centers on curiosity, exploration, and joy. It allows children to follow their interests and discover concepts through doing, not memorizing. It’s messy. It’s creative. And it’s effective.
Kinesthetic learning taps into the power of movement and physical engagement—learning by touching, building, sorting, stacking, and experimenting. For young children, movement is thinking.
These two approaches go hand-in-hand, especially in the early years. And in British Columbia, they’re not just recommended—they’re embedded in our curriculum.
Why It Works: The Science Behind It
Young children don’t learn by passively absorbing information. They learn through full-body, full-sensory experiences.
Research shows that when kids engage multiple senses—especially through touch and movement—they’re more likely to:
- Retain information
- Stay focused
- Make meaningful connections
- Regulate their emotions
For children with ADHD, ASD, or sensory processing differences, this approach is especially powerful. But the truth? Every child benefits from hands-on, active learning.
How the BC Curriculum Supports This
BC’s Early Learning Framework and K–3 curriculum emphasize:
- Experiential, inquiry-based learning
- Creative and critical thinking
- Personal and social development
- Communication and connection
These competencies aren’t developed through worksheets—they’re built through interaction with materials, people, and ideas. The BC education system supports child-led exploration, making play-based and kinesthetic learning central to how we teach.
Real Tools for Real Learning
Hands-on tools—like the ones I create at Autumn Fraser — aren’t just beautiful or fun. They’re designed to support real learning in real classrooms and homes:
- Movable letters and numbers build fine motor skills, letter recognition, and pre-literacy skills through touch and repetition.
- Animals, trees, and nature sets invite storytelling, science learning, and small-world imaginative play.
- Sensory trays and dishes offer open-ended setups for sorting, matching, and sensory calming.
- Puzzles and games encourage problem-solving and math confidence without the pressure of “right answers” on paper.
These tools meet learners where they are—and bring learning to life.
From My Perspective
I’ve taught little ones their ABCs in classrooms and made music with curious minds in early childhood music programs—and now, I pour all that experience into designing sensory toys and learning tools at Autumn Fraser. My goal? To meet kids right where the magic happens—at play. Because when they’re playing, they’re learning. Simple as that. I’m also neurospicy—and I’m raising neurospicy kids. So when I say hands-on, play-based learning matters, I’m speaking from both lived experience and professional practice. I create what I wish I had in my own childhood and what I know my kids need to succeed.
Why It’s Time to Rethink Worksheets
Worksheets can sometimes reinforce skills—but for many young learners, especially in the preschool and early primary years, they’re developmentally out of sync. They require sitting still, using fine motor skills that might not be ready yet, and following instructions before true understanding.
Hands-on learning builds the foundations that worksheets often assume:
- Shape and letter recognition
- Number sense and quantity
- Visual-spatial awareness
- Focus and persistence
When children play with movable numbers, letters, and storytelling pieces, they’re not avoiding learning—they’re building it from the ground up.
Conclusion: Let’s Make Learning Tangible
Tactile, sensory-rich, play-based learning isn’t a trend—it’s the heart of how children grow, learn, and thrive. Especially for neurodivergent learners, but truly for all children, it makes learning accessible, joyful, and lasting.
I invite you to explore the educational toys at Autumn Fraser to find movable letters, numbers, animals, puzzles, and more—designed with children’s needs and brains in mind.
Because when children can touch it, build it, and play with it… they understand it.
