PLAYCO Project

What is PLAYCO Project?

The Playful Learning Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education and Care (PLAYCO) project facilitates cross-cultural learning between Finnish and Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) teacher education students and teacher educators. PLAYCO is funded by the Finland’s National Agency for Education Team Finland Knowledge programme. Its primary activity is co-organized course that combines online learning with 11-day intensive onsite phase in China (December 2024) or in Finland (January 2026). The project is carried out in collaboration by the University of Helsinki, University of Turku, University of Oulu, and Beijing Normal University in China.

During PLAYCO course, early childhood education and care teacher education students learn and practice playful learning pedagogies in multicultural teams. During the onsite intensive phase students observe children’s play and teachers’ playfulness in a range of learning situations in the partnering early childhood education center. The student teams then use their observation to design playful learning activities which are finally implemented in the child groups the students have observed. PLAYCO emphasizes the importance of playfulness and its essential role for children to explore, discover, and acquire new knowledge.

The cooperation in the PLAYCO project has its origins in the institutional partnership between the University of Turku and Beijing Normal University focusing on early childhood education and care field. PLAYCO is also linked to the Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL) China, and Sino-Finnish Joint Learning Innovation Institute (JoLII) initiatives, which have been coordinated by the University of Helsinki, and actively participated by the Universities of Turku and Oulu.

From left to right Mengjiao Liu, Xin Chen, Salla Karhunen, Anni Marjamäki, Micaela Aaltonen, and Associate Professor WANG Xinghua (at the back).

PLAYCO students and BNUK Head Teachers co-designing playful learning activities.

Observations and implementation at Beijing Normal University Kindergarten

All our PLAYCO master students did their assigned observations in BNUK (Beijing Normal University Kindergarten). On the first day, the children and teachers of kindergartens warmly welcomed us all, which made it easier to overcome  the language barrier through play. Our students completed four observation rounds using two observation tools. They also discussed children’s interests and potential themes for the child groups with the BNUK headteachers. Based on  the information gathered and their observations, the master students began collaboratively creating pedagogical and playful implementation plans.

On the third day, the headteachers of BNUK implemented the playful plans with their child groups while our students observed. Later that same day, the headteachers and master students discussed and shared their perspectives and understandings regarding teachers’ playfulness and children’s enjoyment during play. 

BNUK child group in learning activity designed by PLAYCO student.

Music painting in a BNUK child group.

Participation and presentations in 4^th SEED Conference

The 4^th SEED (Study of Early Education and Development) Conference was initiated by the Institute (Department) of Early Childhood Education of Beijing Normal University from 8^th to 9^th of December 2024. The conference was co-hosted by Beijing Normal University Publishing Group and co-organized by Beijing Normal University Kindergarten.

The theme of the 4^th SEED conference was “Innovation and Empowerment: High-Quality Play, Curriculum and Early Learning. Over 200 participants, including academics, practitioners, and professionals in early childhood education, attended the event. During the conference they shared their research results and practices as well as experiences to make joint efforts to improve the quality of early childhood education. From PLAYCO group Olli-Pekka Malinen and Inkeri Ruokonen had their opening speech bringing greetings from both JoLii network and PLAYCO project. They also  expressed their gratitude to professors Hong and Wang for their invitation to take part to the conference. Inkeri Ruokonen and Anitta Melasalmi had their interactive keynote “Interactive playful musical activities in ECEC pedagogy”. The session included active audience participation, with attendees singing and playing along.

PLAYCO-master students participated in the Sino-Finnish Young Scholars Forum, where they presented their experiences and observations about PLAYCO project. The audience was excited to hear their presentations and actively engaged in discussions. The Finnish students appreciated the high-quality ECEC pedagogy what they observed at BNUK.

The principal of BNUK gave a speech emphasizing collaboration and playfulness in ECEC pedagogy, while also expressing gratitude for this project. Everyone was delighted to share insights about playful pedagogical practices and learning environments, discussing the similarities and differences between Chinese and Finnish ECEC. 

During the conference, it became clear that participants could learn from one another, reflect and explore how playfulness can become a more integral part of every child’s educational experience and learning environment. A shared challenge for all participants is determining how to create curricula that honor children as active, capable participants in their own learning. 

Sino-Finnish Young Scholars Forum.

Playful Learning Event at the Embassy of Finland in Beijing

On 9^th December 2024, PLAYCO organized a “Playful Learning in Early Childhood event” attended by about 50 researchers, teacher educators, kindergarten directors, students, and parents at the Embassy of Finland in Beijing. The event featured a panel discussion where Finnish and Chinese students and teacher educators shares their experiences of PLAYCO course and discussed the research and practice of playful learning and teachers’ playfulness in Finland and in China. The discussion was facilitated by the Chinese and Finnish chairs of the Sino-Finnish Joint Learning Innovation Institute (JoLII): Wang Jun from Beijing Normal University, and Olli-Pekka Malinen from the University of Helsinki.

JoLII Chairs WANG Jun and Olli-Pekka Malinen opening the panel discussion.

PLAYCO group in Finnish Embassy Playful Learning Event on 9^th of December 2024.

Here you can explore some of the students’ thoughts and feedback on the PLAYCO project:

“PLAYCO project has been a wonderful learning experience for me. I have learned a lot about playfulness and how it can present itself in many ways in different situations and learning environments. Working together with Finnish and Chinese students and teachers was fun and I got some good friendships along the way. I have gained some insight into my own teaching practices and received fresh ideas that will surely benefit me in the future. – Niina Koivisto, University of Helsinki

“In this program, I have experienced the differences and commonalities between Chinese and Finnish ECE practice. Delightfully, we’ve all shown commitment to the play. Through group collaboration and practice, I have gained a better understanding of play and playfulness. I will work toward becoming a playful ECE teacher.” – Wang Yuchen, Beijing Normal University

“I am very happy to have this opportunity to communicate with Finnish teachers and students. In the process of collaborating and communicating with everyone, I fully felt their enthusiasm. Through online learning and offline observation and practice, I have gained a more comprehensive and deep understanding of teachers’ playfulness and children’s enjoyment. I also learned from my Finnish teammates about some similarities and differences between preschool education in Finland and China. In summary, this was a very meaningful cultural exchange activity.” – Chen Xin, Beijing Normal University

“During the project, I learned a lot and in a broad sense: I gained more knowledge not only about playful pedagogy but also, for example, about my own collaboration skills and the nature of international cooperation in general. I would describe the intensive course as a comprehensive learning experience.” – Veera Soukka, University of Oulu

“In this project, what impressed me deeply was that our group created a unique activity to explore playful collective activities in kindergartens. Throughout this process, we continually learned, discussed, and pondered deeply on how to design activities that better embody the importance of playfulness. Our Finnish students brought us numerous fresh perspectives and ways of thinking, and their insights and methodologies were invaluable learning opportunities for us. We shared our educational ideas and practical experiences, which not only deepened our understanding of the role of games in early childhood education but also promoted cross-cultural exchange and cooperation.” – Mu Fang, Beijing Normal University

“The PLAYCO course has been a deeply transformative learning experience for my professional growth and teaching philosophy. By engaging in collaborative and participatory activities, I developed insights and skills that will not only shape my practice but also empower the children I teach to navigate their futures. The meticulously organized and immersive nature of this course, enriched by international collaboration, fostered profound reflections on my expertise in early childhood education. The dialogue-driven and playful approach of the course offers tools that I will continue to apply in my everyday work as an early childhood educator.” Ellimari Roth, University of Helsinki