Anji Play at BISB: Relationships in Practice

In this article, The British International School Budapest (BISB) educators share stories of challenge, discovery, reflection, and growth for children and themselves in their relationship-focused Anji Play setting. 

“Stepping back and discovering the true child in play, hearing their experiences of play, and becoming aware of their abilities and needs, allows us to better see and understand the world from their perspective.”

- Ms. Cheng Xueqin

Anji Play is a philosophy and approach to early education developed by Ms. Cheng Xueqin for the Public Early Childhood Programmes of Anji County, Zhejiang Province, China. The practice of Anji Play is centered on five interconnected principles: love, risk, joy, engagement, and reflection, and the belief that children are capable and have a right to extended periods of self-directed, uninterrupted, and unguided play.

In Anji Play programmes, love is expressed through caring, honest, trusting, well-bounded relationships, and safe environments. This understanding of love includes trusting the child’s ability to solve problems and take risks. It also includes providing children with clear, simple expectations, environments and routines that are truly responsive to their needs. For that reason, love, in an Anji Play setting, helps create the conditions for child participation and independence. 

In the stories that follow, a team of educators from the BISB Early Years Programme share stories of reflection that invite us to consider how we respond to children. In each of these stories, the educators observed a child struggle through daily transitions that had already been made as clear, responsive, and minimal as possible. Based on their observations during these challenging transitions, the educators and their team members reflected on their understanding of the child’s needs and abilities, and then made intentional changes, which strengthened the relationships in their classrooms. 

At the beginning of a school year, Bell Bertalan, an Early Years Learning Assistant at BISB, observed Freya, a 3 year-old, regularly become upset during transitions, including arrival and departure, and when moving between indoor and outdoor spaces. Freya would cry, scream, and attempt to hide when a transition began. Freya’s response to these classroom transitions was noticeably different from that of her peers, who were now settled into their daily routines. During play, Freya’s peers began to form friendship groups and Freya primarily played by herself. 

Bell focused her observation on understanding Freya’s needs. After sharing and reflecting on her observations with her team, Bell realized that she needed to deepen her relationship with Freya by focusing on listening to what Freya was trying to communicate. During challenging transitions, Bell would move closer to Freya and become responsive to her needs. Bell set aside her own urgent need for Freya to participate in transitions with the same independence as the other children, and gave Freya more time and attention.

Within a few weeks, Freya engaged more readily in classroom transitions. Educators also noticed that the children adopted Bell’s patient approach in their own interactions with Freya. They began waiting for Freya and helping her to dress for outdoor play. Soon, she began dressing herself more independently. As her relationships and independence grew, Freya became an active participant in group play. 

Morgan Lloyd, an Early Years Teacher at BISB, observed Jinhai, a 4 year-old, become physical towards his peers during their lunchtime transition. Jinhai’s peers expressed their unhappiness about his behavior by distancing themselves from him, and telling Morgan about their feelings. 

Morgan shared these observations with her team. Together they considered Jinhai’s needs, and reflected on his recent experience during extended COVID-19 lockdowns. For over a year, Jinhai had had few opportunities for social interaction. Jinhai’s limited ability to speak English also made it difficult for him to communicate and connect with his peers and educators. Morgan decided to focus on her relationship with Jinhai by including him as an active partner in the challenging lunchtime transition. 

Morgan spent time one-on-one with Jinhai introducing him to the things she had to do to prepare for lunch, including counting the number of children, and setting out plates, cutlery, and food. During these times together, Morgan learned more about Jinhai’s interests and which children he wanted to play with. Bearing this in mind, Morgan invited those children to join Jinhai in the lunchtime preparations. 

As Jinhai became more confident and independent in taking the lead during the lunchtime transition, everyone became more calm and settled. The children in the class were now aware of Jinhai’s abilities and contributions. The relationships that grew from lunchtime prep continued to grow in their play together. 

Emma Rafferty, a former Early Years Teacher at BISB, observed Kyong, a 4 year-old, become anxious and agitated when separating from his family at drop off. Kyong, a native Korean speaker with very limited expressive English, would run after them, wrench the door handle in an attempt to leave, and cry inconsolably at the classroom door. As Kyong’s peers settled into the routines and expectations of their classroom, Kyong continued to struggle during drop off. 

Emma shared her observations with her team. They hypothesized that Kyong was expressing a deep need for familiarity and safety as he was forming new relationships with children and educators. To increase Kyong’s sense of familiarity and safety at the beginning of the day, Emma arranged for Kyong’s older brother to spend time in their classroom each morning.

With his brother present, Kyong was calm, and began to initiate play. Every morning, Kyong and his brother would build the same block structure. Over a few weeks, Kyong became more confident and secure in the classroom. His play expanded to include other materials and areas, and Kyong began inviting non-Korean speaking children to join him. At this point, he no longer needed his brother’s help during drop off, and began utilizing English to build relationships. 

The educators of the BISB Early Years Programme form relationships with children by seeking to understand their needs, and by providing children with the time, space, and safety to be fully and freely engaged throughout their day. When a child consistently struggles, these educators see an opportunity to understand the child more deeply and strengthen the relationships in their classroom. 

The educators of the BISB Early Years Programme take a stance of calm and confident observation. They listen to children, and then regularly gather as a team to reflect on their observations. This allows the educators to make intentional decisions in response to the needs of the children in their care, so that all children can be part of the true play that defines their program. When educators embrace this stance, their classroom communities come to embody love, respect, acceptance, inclusion, and growth. 

Names of children have been changed to protect children’s identity. 

Anji Play Website: http://www.anjiplay.com/ 

Interview with Ms. Cheng for the Play First Summit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9tcXeDXFSw 

The Rights and Responsibilities of True Play: http://www.anjiplay.com/rights