Anji Play (安吉游戏) is a philosophy and approach to early education developed over the last two decades by Ms. Cheng Xueqin (程学琴) for the public early childhood programs of Anji County, Zhejiang Province, China. Centered on a fundamental belief in the ability of the child, Anji Play is committed to the right of every child to experience extended periods of self-directed, uninterrupted, and unguided play.

Anji Play is the comprehensive, full-day curriculum of 130 public schools in Anji, serving 14,000 children ages 3-6. It has pilot and demonstration programs in every county in Zhejiang Province, and every province in China, and is the basis for a variety of partner programs around the world.

Ms. Cheng, the founder of the Anji Play approach, is a tireless advocate for the child's right to True Play, and shares her insights and experience with educators, policy-makers, researchers, and families outside of China through her partnership with Anji Education, Inc.

“To call her work innovative seems small. She has taken her understanding of the nature and needs of young children and created a philosophy and practice that is both unique and extremely powerful. Her approach to early childhood empowers the child to follow his instincts and interests to pursue sophisticated learning in an environment where calculated risk enhances each and every cognitive connection.”

-Dr. Sherry Cleary, Dean of Early Childhood Initiatives, City University of New York

For many years the approach to early childhood education in Anji County was that of the majority of Chinese schools: get kids to sit quietly at their desks until they were ready to return to the care and supervision of their parents at the end of the day. But Ms. Cheng, whose position put her in charge of those 130 preschools, would soon change the status quo. From the eras of no play to false play to true play, read more about the history and development of Anji Play here.

“The work of Ms. Cheng and her colleagues has ignited a global revolution to free children and teachers from the constraints imposed by traditional research methods in early childhood education to promote diverse perspectives and ways of knowing and teaching young children.”

-Dr. Denisha Jones, Howard University

True play is deep and uninterrupted engagement in the activity of one’s choice. A foundational concept in the Anji Play approach to early childhood care and education, read the True Play Statement and about the rights and responsibilities of true play here.

“Anji Play represents a truly innovative methodology in which carefully selected materials are used for co-construction and reflection, and thereby creating a dialogue of discovery between the child, peers and the teacher. This approach embodies the true potential of how children learn through play, and in our comparative research, also a strong articulation of how children develop the social, emotional, physical, creative and cognitive competencies essential to become a lifelong learner with both the individual, ethical and social responsibilities of future citizens.”

-Dr. Bo Stjerne Tomsen, LEGO Foundation

In the process of prioritizing true play, Ms. Cheng and the early educators of Anji County identified love, risk, joy, engagement, and reflection as interconnected and mutually reinforcing values that form the basis for a clearly articulated philosophy and approach. Read about these five principles and the foundational practices of Anji Play here.

“I feel like the impact is too big to put into words. Our work together has influenced how I show up not only into my work every minute of every day, but my life in general. I feel I am constantly trying to actively engage with the world from a lens that has been influenced by Anji Play/True Play.”

-California Early Head Start Educator

Anji Play is committed to practices of creating safe, love-filled environments, focusing on authentic relationships of trust and listening, maintaining a stance of uncertainty and discovery about every child's ability, setting aside adult goals and needs, and recording and sharing and reflecting together. This principle-based approach informs the design of physical materials and environments that seek to provide the basis for the child and educator to be independent, capable, and deeply engaged together. Read about Anji Play environments and materials here.

“I’d never imagined a model that was as brave and had such deep trust in children as what I saw in Anji County. I had been designing for what adults would let children do, rather than what children were capable of. Ms. Cheng was not only designing for what children were capable of, but in a way that facilitated them discovering what they are capable of - which far exceeds our expectations.”

-Cas Holman, designer

Ms. Cheng Xueqin, founder of Anji Play, is a former (retired) leader of the Early Education Section of the Anji County Department of Education. In 2014, Jesse Robert Coffino joined Ms. Cheng to share her work and the work of the educators of Anji County outside of China. In 2019, Anji Education, Inc. was founded in California to provide resources about Anji Play, professional learning and growth opportunities, speaking engagements, and rights management. Read about the people involved here.

Find informative handouts, practice guides, research references, and other resources about Anji Play here.