Peli ja leikki kansallisessa opetussuunnitelmassa

The national curriculum guides the schools, defining both the goals and contents of formal education. What is the role of play and games in the curricula in use at the moment? This article analyzes the mentions of play and game (leikki and peli) in the national core curriculum for basic education (POPS 2014). The national core curriculum for general upper secondary education (LOPS 2015) does not once mention the words so even if the finding is interesting this article does not focus on the curriculum for general upper secondary education. The article shows that rhetorics and conceptions of play and game differ greatly from one teaching subject to another. The strongest tendency in the curriculum is to view play and game as a tool for learning and developing, as is typical for pedagogy. Other viewpoints are represented as well: play and game can be seen for example as creative activity, source for motivation or as a part of community and culture.