Abstract

This research is exploring learning through the use of play in Grades R and 1 in 10 schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces using innovative technologies. SchoolNet South Africa is provide professional development to teachers on the effective use of the Xbox Kinect and banks of Intel tablets that have been pre-loaded with carefully-selected appropriate apps.   While there is a deliberate emphasis on the relationship between motor development and cognition, the research has targeted four distinct literacies, namely visual literacy, oral communication in English, as well as gross and fine motor coordination. An additional focus is the visual literacy of the interpretation of emotions. At the heart of the study is how the development of these literacies is enhanced through play.  Thus far, teachers have been excited to discover that digital games have been able to assist them to achieve the outcomes listed in the South African national curriculum.