The Viability of Play in Teaching Number Sense to Grade 3 Learners

Play is one of the most widely used teaching strategies in Foundation Phase. Grade 3 is the exit grade off the Foundation Phase in the South African context. This paper is an output of a Masters' dissertation that explored the use of play when teaching number sense to Grade 3 learners. The dissertation findings encouraged the researchers to explore the viability of play when teaching number sense. The theoretical underpinning of this study was based on Vygotsky's theory of social development and Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence because they both emphasize the importance of play in enhancing social interaction between learners and educators. We used semi-structured interviews, document analysis and non-participant observation to collect data from six Grade 3 teachers from three primary schools in the Capricorn South District's Lebopo Circuit of Limpopo Province in South Africa. The results of this study show that educators lack clear guidelines on how to integrate play in number sense education, from planning to presentation to assessment. Educators need guidelines on how to use play to teach number sense and to be effective. They require curriculum workshops to show them how to use low-cost materials but high quality in lesson preparation. They can play Indigenous games since they require resources that are found in nature.