How many times have we said “let’s play” or “go play with the blocks” to our children or to children in our classroom? It sounds so simple, but there are many pieces to the play puzzle for young children. This tool kit will define play, describe the types and benefits of play, and provide ideas and examples of play at home and in school and childcare.
What Is Play?
- It is important for adults to understand the importance and concepts of play to support a child’s development, as illustrated in the article What does play mean? Children learn through play. What might seem trivial at the surface can be very profound. It can be spontaneous and imaginative, yet it often follows social norms.
- While difficult to define, play is active, voluntary, fun, and often spontaneous.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages families to use play to help their children meet developmental milestones. Learn more in The Power of Play: How Fun and Games Help Children Thrive.
Types of Play
- The Barton Lab at Vanderbilt University describes two types of play, each with its own developmental sequence:
- Social play development describes how children play with others as they grow and develop. This includes solitary play, onlooker play, parallel play, associative play, and cooperative play.
- Object play development describes how children learn to play with items in new and more complex ways. This includes sensori-motor play, relational play, functional play, and pretend play.
Benefits of Play
- Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, motor skills, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play promotes healthy child development and helps to maintain strong parent-child bonds.
- Play connects to learning and development. In their collection, How Play Connects to Learning, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has a number of resources to help families and caregivers support young children’s play.
- The webinar Playing to Learn: Benefits of Play in Early Childhood describes how play builds critical cognitive and behavioral skills for children birth to age 5.
Play at Home
- The IEL resource list Children’s Play – More Than Fun and Games, contains a variety of resources that can aid teachers, parents, and caregivers in providing a diverse selection of play options for children that promote skill development.
- IEL’s Say Yes to the Mess tip sheet series includes tips for caregivers to engage their children in messy play in snow, with rocks, and with water.
- Learning at Home Activities have been compiled to help families to engage in activities that can be done with very few props or supplies.
- When playing at home, it is easy to take the lead instead of following the child’s interests. The blog post Play Along: Following Your Child’s Interests at Home, provides strategies for adults to use to expand a child’s play.
- Nature Play: Loose Parts Are the Best Parts describes the many benefits of outdoor play for young children.
- The Barton Lab has developed a graphic, Playing with Your Child, with tips for engagement.
- The web resource Young Children’s Math Skills During Coronavirus and Beyond includes a downloadable At-Home Early Math Learning Kit, which includes recipes, math snacks, card games, and tips for reading with young children that help make math learning enjoyable.
- The article Young Children Learn a Lot When They Play describes how children learn skills such as cooperation, leading and following, and solving problems when they interact with peers.
Play at School or Childcare
- The Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut University offers several videos on Supporting Play to help caregivers support young children’s play through dramatic play and outdoor play and to describe cultural influences on children’s play.
- The article Key Aspects of Play in Early Education provides important considerations for integrating play in early childhood learning environments.
- Play-Based Learning … It’s More Than Fun and Games from StarNet describes current research on the benefits of play, aligning play with the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS), play-based assessment, and planning for all learners in the classroom. It also provides five practical strategies for elevating play.
IEL Resources
- Tip Sheets:
- Say Yes to the Mess tip sheet series
- Resource List:
- Blogs:
- Learning at Home Activities
Web Resources
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How Play Connects to Learning
Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
The website provides a variety of articles on the latest research on play, play based learning, and ideas to share with families.
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Key Aspects of Play in Early Education
Source: Edutopia
Some important considerations for integrating play in early childhood learning environments.
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Object Play Development
Source: Vanderbilt University
This article describes the types of play that occur in early childhood.
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Play-Based Learning…It’s More Than Fun and Games
Source: STAR NET
What does current brain research say about the benefits of play? How can I use the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards when planning for play? How do I plan to meet the needs of all learners? What does play-based assessment look like? This video will explore these questions and provide five practical strategies for elevating play.
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Playing to Learn: Benefits of Play in Early Childhood
Source: Head Start
In this video, find out what play looks like for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Discover how play can facilitate child development in the five Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, and the benefits of learning through guided play.
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Playing with Your Child
Source: Vanderbilt University
This handout offers suggestions for parents as they play with their child.
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The Power of Play – How Fun and Games Help Children Thrive
(also in Spanish)Source: HealthyChildren.org
This article provides examples of play activities for children beginning at birth through age 6 years.
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Social Play Development
Source: Vanderbilt University
This article provides information on the types of social play that occur during early childhood.
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Supporting Play
Source: Eastern Connecticut State University
Videos and resources provide ideas and guidance in supporting children’s learning and development through play.
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What does play mean?
Source: Michigan State University
When working with young children, understanding what play means and how to use it to teach life skills to children are important in developing successful adults.
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Young Children Learn a Lot When They Play
(also in Spanish)Source: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
This article explains the importance of play, and offers suggestions for how parents can create meaningful play opportunities.
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Young Children’s Math Skills During Coronavirus and Beyond
(also in Spanish)Source: DREME TE
This early math kit offers practical strategies that families can use to support their young children’s early math learning—at home, right now, for free, and without special materials.