The Importance of Play 1

The Importance of Play

The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Development

Olivia C. Williams
Glen Allen High School

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Introduction
Visit any playground in the world and one will see a universal truth; children of all ages
engage in play. From an infant holding a rattle, to four year olds playing dress-up, to seven year
olds playing tag, children enjoy play that is unstructured and without adult interference. It only
follows to assume there is something very important about play in the lives of young kids. Why
is play an essential part of early childhood development? Play is a childs natural, instinctive
way of learning many valuable lessons about the world around them. With increasing emphasis
in our culture on developing academic skills in children at younger and younger ages, our
children are losing a natural, life-enhancing skill that is crucial to healthy development.
Play and Cognitive Development
Much of the research on play demonstrates its relationship to cognitive development in
early childhood. According to Kenneth R. Ginsburg, play allows children from a very early age
to engage and interact with the world around them which contributes to healthy cognitive
development (Ginsburg, 2007). Senior Early Childhood Specialist, Shannon Lockhart, suggests
that working memory, self-regulation, language, and the ability to organize, focus, plan,
strategize, prioritize, and initiate are all key cognitive functions developed through the assistance
of play (Lockhart, 2011). Many experts agree that play provides the foundation for learning
skills that can determine later academic success. In addition one children reach the age in which
they are in an academic environment play can help children adjust to the school setting, and
therefore foster school engagement, and enhance childrens learning readiness, learning
behaviors, and problem-solving skills. Play and recess during the school day can even increase
childrens capacity to learn new information (Ginsburg, 2007). This hypothesis was supported by

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a study conducted by Han, Moore, Vukelich and Buell, in which they examined the effects of
play on how effectively preschoolers learn. The study divided up a group of 118 low-performing
students into two groups. One group received Explicit Instructional Vocabulary Protocol (EVIP),
and the other received a shortened EVIP plus a play session (EVIP + Play). Study results showed
that the children who received EVIP + Play showed more growth on receptive and expressive
vocabulary tests and also met the benchmark on receptive vocabulary as measured by the
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (Han, Moore, Vukelich, & Buell, 2010).
Further research examines the relationship between play and cognitive development with
regards to child-initiated play. When children determine the direction and content of their own
play, they have many opportunities to develop language and literacy skills. In instances where
children are allowed to initiate play, they are able to express their choices in words and interact
and speak freely with other children and adults (Bodrova & Leong, 2007). A cross-national
longitudinal study conducted by The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement (IEA) Preprimary Project, found that childrens language performance at age seven
was significantly higher when teachers had allowed children to choose their own activities with
regards to play at the age of four (Montie, Xiang, & Schweinhart, 2006).
Play and Social Development
Experts agree that maturation and socialization develop during early childhood through
play. Like any developing skill, learning social skills requires practice and repetition. Desired
social behaviors are taught through a variety of experiences starting from the early childhood.
According to David Elkind, one of the easiest ways parents can help their children develop
socially is by playing with them. Joining in play builds relationships in a climate of fun and puts

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parents in the perfect position to teach skills for sharing and cooperation and introducing
concepts such as winning or losing. In addition, play gives children a chance to learn about more
subtle social cues like body language and vocal intonations (Elkind, 2008). Through play
children also strengthen their ability to interact with their peers by practicing social skills that
include sharing, taking turns, conversing, and being able to stay with a specific play theme
(Sohn, 2014). Time spent playing and its relationship with social development has been directly
linked to school success. Elkind supports this theory stating, All of this game playing and social
learning makes it easier for children to learn in a school setting where they are interacting with
adults and have the basic social skills that are the basis for formal learning (Elkind, 2008).
Play and Emotional Development
Many researchers consider play as an important part of healthy emotional development.
Through play, children can release emotions, work through feelings, and understand their world
better by play-acting in situations they can control. The give and-take patterns of play allow
children rich opportunities to practice the skills necessary to establish a healthy emotional
development. In his article The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development
and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, Ginsburg details how play helps to build and
strengthen emotional bonds within the family. Childrens healthy emotional development is
mediated by nurturing relationships with consistent caregivers. Ginsburg relates how play allows
parents to view the world through their childs eyes and, therefore, help parents learn to
communicate or offer guidance more effectively. In addition Ginsburgs article explains how
play can even help younger, less verbal children to be able to express themselves, including their
frustrations, therefore allowing their parents an opportunity to better understand their childs

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emotional needs. Above all, the intensive engagement and interactions that occur while playing
tell children that their parents are fully paying attention to them, thus establishing a stronger
parent-child connection (Ginsburg, 2007).
Conclusion
Play is as natural to children as learning to crawl, walk, or say their first words. A wealth
of research clearly shows that play can benefit children in numerous valuable ways.
Unfortunately, in our modern world play is often being overlooked both at home and at school as
we all trend towards pushing children in more academic pursuits. Studies have proven that play
is essential for healthy cognitive, social, and emotional development in early childhood. It is
therefore important for parents and educators to make time for play, both at home and at school,
in the daily life of every child.

Works Cited

Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2007). Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early
Childhood Education. Pearson. Retrieved from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.
topic850552.files/Bodrova_Leong_2007_pp1-91.pdf
Elkind, D. (2008). The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally. American Journal
of Play, 1(1), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.journalofplay.org/issues/1/1/article/powerplay-learning-what-comes-naturally.
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development
and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Journal of American Academy of

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Pediatrics,119 (1), 183-185. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

content/pediatrics/119/1/182.full.pdf
Han, M., Moore, N., Vukelich, C., & Buell, M. (2010). Does Play Make a Difference? How
Play Intervention Affects the Vocabulary Learning of At-Risk Preschoolers. American
Journal of Play, 3 (1), 82-105. Retrieved from http://www.journalofplay.org /issues /3/1/
article/does-play-make-difference-how-play-intervention-affects-vocabulary-learningrisk
Lockhart, S. (2011). Play: An Important Tool for Cognitive Development. HighScope Extensions
Curriculum Newsletter, 24 (3), 1-17. Retrieved from http://membership.highscope.org/
app/issues/142.pdf
Montie, J. E., Xiang, Z., & Schweinhart, L. J. (2006). Preschool experience in 10 countries:
Cognitive and language performance at age 7. Early Childhood Research Quarterly,
21(3), 313-331. Retrieved from http://www.highscope.org/file/Research/international/
IEA _Age_7_ecrq_art.pdf
Sohn, E. (2014). How Play Promotes Your Child's Development. Ability Path. Retrieved
from http://www.abilitypath.org/health-daily-care/daily-care/playing/articles/play-childdevelopment.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/