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Happy Wednesday! It’s Makiya Seminera, one of your Chalkbeat Chicago reporters.

Let me transport you back to a time that might feel very distant from the life you live now: your childhood. Do you remember what you would do for fun? What did playing look like for you?

Personally, my idea of fun as a child typically involved some form of playing pretend. My childhood best friend and I acted out made-up stories about cats when I came over for sleepovers. We would do the same every time we called each other on our home phones. And being by myself didn’t stop my imagination from running wild. Let’s just say my X-Men action figures were rarely off-duty from saving the world, and my Littlest Pet Shop toys always had some sort of drama to square away.

But what if play wasn’t just something to do after school, and instead, it was a way you learned in the classroom? In Illinois, that’s becoming a reality for most kindergarteners. As the state continues to roll out full-day kindergarten in every school district, lawmakers recently gave further guidance on how teachers should implement play-based learning in their lessons. Want to learn more about what qualifies as play-based learning (yes, playing pretend makes the cut!) and how it benefits students? Read my story here.

Have tips or feedback on other important stories about Chicago’s youngest learners? Reply to this email to get in touch.

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