Purposeful Play, Intentional Teaching, Real Results: What We Learned from Over 100 Preschoolers
- Melissa McCall
- Jul 10
- 5 min read
For years, early childhood educators have found themselves caught in the middle of a debate. On one side are those who argue that preschool should focus primarily on play, social-emotional development, and exploration. On the other side are those who worry that children are entering kindergarten without the foundational literacy skills needed to be successful.
At Moving Little Minds, we believe this debate misses the point.
The question is not whether preschool should be play-based or academic. The question is how we can intentionally teach important literacy skills in ways that are engaging, developmentally appropriate, and meaningful for young children. In other words, how do we preserve the joy of childhood while also ensuring children are building the foundations needed for future reading success?
This year, we had the opportunity to examine literacy growth among more than 100 preschool children participating in classrooms using the Moving Little Minds approach. While this was a pilot project rather than a formal research study, the results were incredibly encouraging and reinforced what we believed from the beginning: when intentional teaching and purposeful play come together, children can make remarkable progress.
The Results
Across participating classrooms, children engaged in daily literacy experiences designed around the Moving Little Minds Alphabet framework. These experiences included explicit instruction in letter names and sounds, our famous letter sounds with body motions flashcards, opportunities for repeated review, movement-based learning, games, and purposeful play experiences that allowed children to practice and apply new skills throughout the day.
The growth we observed was significant.
Children entered the program knowing an average of approximately six letter sounds. By the end of implementation, that average had grown to approximately twenty letter sounds. In other words, letter-sound knowledge more than tripled. Children also demonstrated substantial growth in uppercase and lowercase letter recognition, with many reaching or exceeding commonly used kindergarten readiness benchmarks.
One finding that stood out was the consistency of growth across age groups. While children entered the program with varying levels of literacy knowledge, both younger and older preschoolers demonstrated strong gains. This suggests that when children are provided with intentional, consistent literacy experiences, meaningful growth can occur regardless of where they begin.
The results were exciting, but what interested us even more was how those results were achieved.
These gains did not occur through extended seatwork or an increase in worksheets. They occurred in classrooms where children were actively engaged in learning through movement, hands-on exploration, songs, and play. Literacy instruction was both intentional and fun – the “Moving Little Minds” way!
What Makes the Moving Little Minds Alphabet Approach Different?
One of the things that makes the Moving Little Minds approach different is where it began.
We didn't start by searching for fun alphabet activities. We started by studying the research.
The Science of Reading has helped us better understand the foundational skills children need to become successful readers. Research consistently points to the importance of alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, oral language, vocabulary, and other early literacy skills that develop long before children begin reading independently.
The challenge is that much of this research has traditionally been discussed through an elementary school lens. We wanted to know what these findings looked like in a preschool classroom.
What does evidence-based literacy instruction look like for a three-year-old?
How do we teach foundational literacy skills without expecting young children to learn like older students?
How do we respect the way young children naturally learn while still providing the explicit instruction they need?
Those questions led us to study not only literacy research, but also child development research and developmental milestones.
What we found was powerful.
Young children learn through movement. They learn through repetition. They learn through play. They learn through songs, conversations, hands-on experiences, and meaningful interactions with caring adults, but also need to be explicitly taught certain literacy skills.
That realization became the foundation of the Moving Little Minds system. Rather than choosing between research-based instruction and developmentally appropriate practice, we built an approach that combines both. The result is a literacy framework that teaches the skills research tells us matter most while honoring how young children actually learn.
That is where the magic happens.
Children receive intentional instruction in foundational literacy skills, but they practice those skills through movement, songs, games, conversations, and purposeful play experiences that keep them engaged and excited about learning.
In our experience, that combination is far more powerful than either approach on its own.
Learn about and download one valuable part of our framework, using letter cycles below!
How Does Purposeful Play Fit into the Approach?
Purposeful play is not simply keeping children busy. It is not filling centers with random activities and hoping learning occurs. Purposeful play occurs when educators intentionally design experiences that allow children to practice and apply important skills in meaningful ways.
For example, after learning a new letter sound, children may go on a letter hunt around the classroom. They may build the letter using manipulatives, form it with play dough, search for it in books, or identify it in environmental print. A phonological awareness lesson may be reinforced through movement games, songs, or outdoor activities. Vocabulary development may occur through rich conversations during dramatic play or read-aloud discussions.
To an observer, these experiences look playful. And they should. Young children learn through play.
However, beneath the surface, there is a clear instructional purpose. Every experience is intentionally connected to a skill children are developing.
This is one of the reasons we use the phrase purposeful play so often. The play itself matters, but so does the purpose behind it.
Why Kindergarten Readiness Starts Earlier Than We Think
When people hear the phrase kindergarten readiness, they often think about children reading independently before entering school.
In reality, kindergarten readiness is built on foundational skills that develop from the day children are born. The foundation creates the future.
Children need strong alphabet knowledge. They need phonological awareness. They need oral language skills, vocabulary, concepts of print, and opportunities to develop early writing skills. These foundational competencies become the building blocks for future reading success.
The encouraging news is that these skills can be developed in ways that are joyful, engaging, and developmentally appropriate.
The results we observed suggest that children do not need more worksheets to build literacy skills. They need intentional instruction. They need opportunities for repeated practice. They need meaningful interactions with caring adults. And they need classrooms where learning feels exciting rather than stressful.
Moving Forward
The results from our pilot project reinforced something we have believed for a long time.
The future of early literacy instruction is not found in choosing between play and academics. It is found in intentionally blending the best of both.
Children deserve classrooms where they can move, explore, create, imagine, and play. They also deserve educators who understand how to intentionally teach the foundational skills that support future reading success.
That belief is at the heart of everything we create at Moving Little Minds.
Our literacy curriculum, Alphabet Motion Flashcards, professional development trainings, and Literacy Success Bundle were all designed around the same goal: helping educators translate the Science of Reading into developmentally appropriate practices that actually work in preschool classrooms.
Because knowing the research is one thing.
Knowing how to apply that research with three-, four-, and five-year-olds is another.
More than 100 preschoolers helped remind us of what is possible when intentional teaching and purposeful play come together.
The results speak for themselves, and they continue to inspire the work we do every day.
Ready to Bring This Approach to Your Classroom?
If you're ready to move beyond letter-of-the-week and build a literacy block that is both research-informed and play-based, we'd love to help.
Whether you're an individual teacher looking for a step-by-step curriculum, a director wanting to create consistency across classrooms, or simply someone who wants to learn more about our approach, we have resources designed to meet you where you are.
Explore:
Because preschool literacy shouldn't force you to choose between joyful learning and meaningful outcomes.
At Moving Little Minds, we believe you can have both!
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