When we appreciate the important role play serves in a child’s learning about self and world, we give children the time and opportunity to engage in the self-initiated play that is the surest way for them to …

There are many types of play: symbolic, sociodramatic, functional, and games with rules-–to name just a few. Researchers study play’s many aspects: how children learn through play, how outdoor play …

This excerpt from Developmentally Appropriate Practice illustrates the ways in which play and learning mutually support one another and how teachers connect learning goals to children’s play.

We can help families understand why play is critical for preschoolers’ learning and development—and how play sets children up for future school success.

This issue of Young Children delves into different aspects of play and different roles of educators during play.

Sometimes our listening reinforces what we thought we knew—and sometimes it takes us in directions we didn’t anticipate, identifies consequences we didn’t envision, and helps us find solutions we …

Block play with an 18-month-old is different than block play for a five year old. What types of block play and blocks work well for different aged children and why? Children go through various stages of …

NAEYC asked two researchers about what their work tells us about toys, children, and play. Jeffrey Trawick-Smith is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Center for Early Childhood Education …

In addition to being safe, good toys for young children need to match their stages of development and emerging abilities.

Play is essential for all children, birth through age 8. Play (e.g., self-directed, guided, solitary, parallel, social, cooperative, onlooker, object, fantasy, physical, constructive, and games with rules) is the …