Agency — the ability to make choices, act on them, and feel that those actions matter — is key to play and learning. In this episode, we dig into what agency really means for young children, tracing it through the work of foundational developmental theorists and grounding it in current research on how play, agency, and learning work together as a powerful, reinforcing system. Along the way, we name what’s getting in the way — a cultural pattern I call pervasive passivity — and explore what it looks like when children lose access to the agency they need to thrive.
If you work with young children or advocate for play-based learning, this episode will give you both the research and the practical language to protect what matters most — including a surprising look at what current AI advances reveal about what we actually want for our young children.
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Notes from the Show:
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A few of the challenges and questions posed:
*Language Matters: When possible, invite children into problem-solving with “I wonder….” rather than giving orders.
*Your Environment Talks: Does it tell children they are welcome, capable, and trusted? Can they do reasonable things independently? (Hang up coats, get supplies, use the restroom, reach the tables, fit the chairs, help others, etc.)
*Activities Should Be Open: When selecting activities and supplies, lean towards those that can be used in multiple ways. If you already know exactly what the end result will look like before the children start, it likely needs more agency rolled in.
*Bodies Are Meant to Move: Agency includes bodily autonomy and the need for appropriate movement. Consider how children are encouraged or restricted in how they move or meet the needs of their own bodies.
*ASK Yourself: Where and when are the children invited to engage in the process of discovery? In discussion? In problem-solving? Or in the process of creation? And then ask yourself where you could expand or build on those opportunities.
Links to Citations:
Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood
Want to go deeper? My book, Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood, covers agency, joy, and the full research case for powerful play — written to be accessible, practical, and worth sharing with your whole team. Find the book, a free study guide, and more here.
Show Highlights:
What are the essential elements of play — and why agency?
Defining agency: choice, autonomy, and intrinsic motivation
What the foundational theorists knew: Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Montessori
Current research: how play, agency, and learning reinforce each other
The engine and the steering wheel: agency as motivation and self-regulation
Pervasive passivity: the cultural pattern getting in the way
Three places we see it: screens, over-scheduling, and early learning environments
Supporting agency in practice: language, environment, choice, movement, and discovery
What advances in AI reveal about what children really need
