This study presents the construction of a guided play framework to guide teachers in implementing guided play in schools. Guided play involves amalgamating learner-directed aspects of free play with focused learning objectives supported by teacher scaffolding. This approach includes two key elements: learner agency, where learners take the lead and their initiative is acknowledged, and teacher guidance, where teachers create a conducive environment, ask open-ended questions, and use scaffolding to steer learners toward specific learning goals while allowing them to make choices. I conducted a design-based research study in a pre-service teacher education programme that focused on an online guided play course as a pedagogy, using the following data generation methods: semi-structured interviews, stimulated recall interviews, questionnaires, analyses of learning and assessment tasks, and a teacher-educator journal. The findings of the study showed that the participants in the study, namely pre-service teachers, understood what guided play involves. However, they were not clear on how to implement guided play. My search of the literature on implementing guided play in schools also showed that teachers are not clear on how to execute guided play in the classroom. To address this issue, I developed a guided play framework to assist teachers in developing the skills necessary to intentionally employ guided play as a pedagogical tool, enabling them to incorporate it into their daily lessons seamlessly. The framework was constructed in the following way: firstly, I identified the key assumptions that underpin the framework. Secondly, I drew on play-based learning literature and contextualised it to address the needs of South African classrooms. Lastly, I used a diagram to illustrate how teachers can follow this framework. The first component focuses on designing a guided play activity, while the second component addresses its implementation, including the pre-play phase, engagement phase, and post-play reflection phase. This framework has the potential to support teachers in effectively incorporating guided play into their teaching practices.

Keywords: Guided play, playful learning, pre-service teacher education.