CAYC Thinking Together series: Playful Literacies in Challenging Times

By Dr. Xiaoxiao Du, Dr. Catherine-Laura Dunnington, Dr. Melanie Janzen, Catherine Paul-Sawatzky, Kyla Ritchie (NOTE: Names are listed in alphabetical order by last name)



On March 23, 2026, CAYC MB hosted an online panel discussion on playful literacies. Over 70 participants joined four panelists to discuss the challenges of sustaining playful literacy practices in early childhood settings, from preschool through elementary school, particularly in this time of increased moves to standardization of instruction practices and assessment. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Melanie Janzen (University of Manitoba) and focused on the following four questions:

1) What challenges are you facing in your context in enacting playful literacies?
2) What creative possibilities are there in resisting/navigating these challenges?
3) Can you share a specific example of an approach/program/inquiry that engaged playful literacies?
4) Is there a topic or issue that was raised today that you would like to revisit or elaborate on?

Key takeaways:

Dr. Xiaoxiao Du (University of Manitoba)
Engaging with early literacy teaching means doing the heart and hard work amid the current turbulent context where literacy is narrowly interpreted by many as a singular set of skills focusing on letters and sounds and playful meaning making practices have been pushed to the margin. The messy context also offers teachers and researchers opportunities to rethink what being literate means, whose languages and literacies are taught or learned, how these processes unfold, and whose knowledge is sustained and interests served. Children are capable and creative meaning makers who make sense of the world in different ways, and literacies are multidimensional and relational.

Dr. Catherine-Laura Dunnington (University of Winnipeg)
Early literacy is a meaning-making journey rooted in early experience. Children translate experience through play - essentially, to read and reflect - and our role in early childhood education is to listen and support on purpose. I noted the literate value of belief. So often we’d like to solve the hardship that children incur. From small injustice (that’s my toy!) to larger (no lunch on Thursday), we desire solutions. But when we believe children first, and state this unequivocally, we’re supporting that whispy part of literacy that involves making experiences in our mind and believing ourselves.

Catherine Paul-Sawatzky (Seven Oaks School Division)
Many educators share the lived experience that education is a system that is increasingly challenging and complex. Amid these challenges, there is growing pressure to decomplexify our profession by seeking simple, universal solutions or “quick fixes”. Teaching is complex because humans are complex! Yet, complexity does not have to be negative; it can be an opportunity. As teachers, we can be advocates for playful literacy practices in our classrooms that reflect and honour human experiences. We can make visible the “everyday life” of authentic literacy practices and tell our own stories about what matters.

Kyla Ritchie (Morrow Early Learning & Child Development)
Playful literacy moments are created through intentional interactions between an educator and small groups of children. As educators, it’s important to cultivate an environment that respects each child and values their ideas, thoughts, and creations. Through meaningful conversations and thoughtful questioning, we can spark curiosity and deepen engagement. In doing so, we create rich, playful literacy experiences that are shaped by the interest and values of the children.

Reflective Questions

How are you purposefully promoting playful meaning-making practices in your context?
How are you meaningfully honouring children’s creativity and curiosity in your early years programs?

About the authors

Xiaoxiao Du (PhD) is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. She works alongside schools, teachers, students, and families to explore language and literacies in the early years. Her research foregrounds asset- based, justice-oriented, and culturally responsive approaches to literacy education.
Catherine-Laura Dunnington (PhD, ECE III) is assistant professor of Developmental Studies at the University of Winnipeg. She is equally an early childhood educator and researcher who focuses on sociomaterial theories of childhood, children as storytellers, and arts based methods. Melanie Janzen (PhD) is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and located on Treaty One Territory. Prior to joining the faculty she was an early years teacher and is a long-serving member of CAYC. Her research interests focus on the importance of children’s perspectives while advocating for teachers and public education.
Catherine Paul-Sawatzky (MEd) is a Grade 1&2 multiage teacher at James Nisbet School in the Seven Oaks School Division in Winnipeg. Catherine is passionate about honouring the identities and experiences of children through our engagements with multiliteracies, our connections to our sense of "place" on Turtle Island and our relationships with each other. 
Kyla Ritchie (ECE II) is an Abecedarian Mentor at Morrow Early Learning and Development. She has been a front-line worker for the past 17 years. She has worked with children ranging from infant to thirteen years of age.  Kyla is very passionate about early years development. She advocates for the importance of quality Early Education, and she values the importance of intentional play experiences.