Children most certainly learn through play! Studies have shown that, among other things, REPETITION and RYTHM help children learn. What child doesn't love to clap their little hands and stomp their little feet and move to the beat. These things make learning fun for little ones and it keeps the learning area alive and keeps the children involved. Most teachers will admit that it can be a challenge to maintain the children's attention. Depending on the ages of the children you may only have a few minutes at a time to teach before their attention goes elsewhere. The younger the child, the shorter their attention span.
The act of repeating things over and over helps the children to learn what is being repeated. Children younger than two years old have been able to spell words that have been repeatedly said to a beat. Those exact same children were also able to recite the entire 23 Psalm, The Lord's Prayer, and other passages of scripture that are considered long for two-year-olds to memorize.
Although repetition and rythm help children to learn, there are so many other factors that can come into play to assist children in the learning process. Some of these things include play stations and areas that develop different skills. For instance, some play areas could be a "cooking station" where children play with all types of different play foods and have a stove, refrigerator, apron, etc. At this station children could learn about safety in the kitchen as well as pretend cooking. Another play station could be a station where children play with blocks or play doh. This is where children can learn to build and make things, using their own imaginations, or making things that they have already seen. A cleaning station could include a toy vacuum, broom set, duster, etc. A creative writing station filled with crayons, colored pencils, and regular pencils help young children to get comfortable holding writing and coloring utensils. And over time they learn to control their writing and coloring, and not just to scribble.
Preparing stuctured learning environments, having hands on time, taking breaks, and useage of music are all things that assist children in learning. Children also learn by watching what someone else is doing. So while it is important to specifically stage areas for children to learn in, it is also just as important to be a good example because children learn by watching you. We are constantly teaching children, whether deliberately or accidentally. Keeping all these things in mind, develop lesson plans that stimulate their little minds as well as letting them have fun, move around, and be creative.