The Transformative Power of Play in Early Childhood

Play is a critical part of childhood. It is the foundation of brain development and equips children with skills they will need throughout their lives. There is a mounting body of evidence from educators, neuroscientists and play researchers that underscores the power of play in early learning and childhood.

In many nurseries and preschool settings, the increasing focus on academic readiness means less time is reserved for play, while outside school hours, children’s schedules are often filled with structured extracurricular activities, or time is spent on devices, leaving fewer and fewer opportunities to play.

In the 1960s, NASA commissioned George Land to conduct a research paper on the traits of creative geniuses. The study focused on children aged 3 to 5 and found that 98% of these children exhibited characteristics of creative geniuses. However, a follow-up study revealed a troubling trend: by age 10, the percentage of children labelled as geniuses dropped to 30%, and further declined to 12% by age 15. When compared to adults, only 2% maintained this level of creativity.

Further research by George Land suggested that traditional educational systems might suppress the natural creative abilities of children, leading to a decline in creativity and genius-level thinking as they matured. He observed that uncreative behaviour is learned.

If we really want the best start in life for our children, it is crucial to integrate play into children’s daily routines, both in early education settings and at home. The promise is happy, healthy and creative children who are eager to learn.

The Role of Play in Childhood

Play allows children to acquire vital skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. Playing enhances brain function and helps children focus on their goals. When children play, their brains make connections that are crucial for learning later in life.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that play helps children understand the world, build resilience, and learn to take risks. Yes, play is enjoyable but, it is not about having fun, it is about trying new things and testing limits. Children flourish when they have the freedom to take responsibility for their actions, while adults are there to provide guidance.

"Play goes beyond fun activities for kids," says Tatum Acutt, reading and curriculum specialist at Baobab Education. "Play fosters development in children's cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth, while stimulating their creativity and problem-solving skills."

Neuroscientists know that when children play, neural connections are made and reinforced in the brain, setting the foundation for future life skills. When children play, their prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain that deals with emotional regulation, abstract thinking, judgement and reasoning – is activated.

Conversely, play deprivation damages early childhood development and later social and emotional learning, according to Dr Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play. Play is so fundamental to children’s development that the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has recognised play as a right of every child.

Physical Development:
Active play remains one of the most effective ways to promote physical health and development in young children. Whether running, jumping or climbing, active play strengthens muscles, improves agility and coordination, and enhances overall fitness. Outdoor play exposes children to the natural world, stimulates their senses and fosters wonder and curiosity. Even activities as simple as finger painting or playing with playdough will help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, preparing children for more complex tasks like writing and drawing.

Social & Emotional Growth:
Play provides a safe space for children to explore the complexities of social interaction and emotional expression. Whether negotiating roles in a pretend tea party or taking turns on a slide, play provides a space in which children can learn valuable lessons in cooperation, empathy and self-regulation. Through play, children learn to understand and manage their emotions, develop resilience in the face of challenges and forge meaningful relationships with their peers. Group activities such as building forts or playing games foster teamwork and communication, essential for developing collaboration and leadership skills for the future.

Cognitive Development:
At its core, play is a cognitive activity, that lays the foundation for essential analytical skills. When children manipulate objects, experiment with cause and effect, and engage in make-believe scenarios, they are actively constructing knowledge about their environment. Through play, they learn to solve problems, think critically and exercise their creativity. While sorting out shapes and building blocks for a building project, they develop spatial awareness and use mathematical concepts, while playing shop they improve their numeracy, and imaginative play helps improve language development and narrative skills, all at the same time as they are exercising their social and emotional skills.

Language & Communication:
Play is vital for children to explore language, using it to express thoughts and ideas, as well as to learn to listen and respond to others. Through play, children can pick up new words and phrases, and improve their vocabulary and grammar skills. Even something as simple as block play relates to improved language abilities in toddlers. Children 3 or 4 years old start using language in a humorous way. For example, they might say things like, "I'm a whale. This is my tail," or "I'm a flamingo. Look at my wingo." Children who regularly engage in play with their peers exhibit greater receptive vocabularies compared to those who have fewer opportunities to engage in free or guided play.

Learning Through Play

In addition to being essential to a child’s overall development, play also prepares preschool age children for academic learning. Neuroscientists explain this in terms of brain development: in the early years, the most developed parts of the brain are those that respond to active experiences. It is only later, as the relevant part of a child's brain matures, that they develop the ability to learn from listening to a lecture or watching a film.

But there is also the simple fact that when something is fun to do, we are eager to do it. As Dr Brown puts it, "Children engaged playfully will have memorable learning experiences. If maths is joyful with a playful teacher, children learn better. Play should be infused into the education system because it makes learning exciting and school becomes a place of wonder and inquiry."

In preschool and nursery settings, a play-based curriculum helps children to be curious about learning and this in turn helps them remember the information better than if the teaching comes in a more passive form.

"The play-based learning approach uses playful activities to engage children in learning experiences," says Tatum Acutt. “It allows children to explore, experiment and discover in a hands-on and enjoyable way, promoting active participation and intrinsic motivation."

Nature plays an important part in the environment that supports learning through play. More and more educators are turning to nature and including it in their practice. Miriam Morgan, a teacher at Little Trotters Farm & Nursery, who has many years of experience in early childhood education, observed how nature brings an abundance of “calm and connections” and "provides open-ended opportunities and allows children to feel alive by exploring different textures." Despite potential barriers such as weather and lack of time, incorporating nature into everyday learning offers instant benefits such as "enhancing cognitive abilities, improving social relations, supporting creativity, problem-solving, and many more."

A report by the LEGO Foundation which looked at 26 studies of play from 18 countries, found that children learned significantly better in childcare centres that provided space for free and guided play, than in the settings where there were fewer opportunities to play and more emphasis on teacher-led activities. Play, it suggested, is so powerful that it brings benefits when closing the achievement gaps between children aged 3 to 6.

Other studies show that an emphasis on didactic learning has almost no effect on academic achievement, while the absence of play negatively impacts children’s ability to pay attention and self-regulate in the classroom. With so much evidence of the benefits of play, why are we still holding back?

Play in Preschool Settings

Learning through play should encompass a variety of experiences. Ideally, in the pre-school and early care settings children should be encouraged and offered opportunities to participate in a variety of experiences. However, ultimately, it is up to the children to decide which activities they want to engage in what interests them. Some experiences may allow children to be freer and more independent, while others involve more adult guidance.

Free play is when children take the lead. They become the decision-makers and choose when, where, what and for how long they play. There is little or no adult involvement in free play, and children move at their own pace, experiment, test their skills and discover. One example is playing with building blocks, where children make choices, try out different methods and lead their own experiments. As they pile blocks on top of one another and see when they fall, they develop cognitive skills such as problem-solving, decision making and reasoning.

Free play is particularly important for developmental learning, such as with socio-emotional and self-regulation skills. Studies have found that children who exercise autonomy are more effective at problem-solving, negotiating and resolving conflict in situations than in teacher-led settings.

Guided play is when adults combine the child-directed nature of free play with their active participation. This approach is especially effective in the classroom when teachers have prepared materials or experiences that incorporate appropriate learning goals in an engaging manner. For instance, while in free play, a child may play with building blocks alone, but in guided play, a teacher may challenge them to build a tower that does not fall over. This allows the child to experiment and find the solution, rather than being instructed to make the base wider.

Practitioners might encourage or challenge children by asking open-ended questions such as "I wonder what would happen if..." or "What would change if..." Such questions encourage children to give longer answers, building their vocabulary, helping them develop cognitive and problem-solving skills, engaging their memory, and thinking creatively.

Through open-ended questions, children engage in larger conversations and develop socio-emotional skills, and most importantly, they create a space to build stronger and deeper relationships with adults. The most exciting part is gaining insight into a child's world, including their ideas and unique character. If we listen attentively, children can teach us more about the world than we ever thought possible!

Structured games are different as they follow a set of rules and have a specific purpose or goal. Despite being rule-based, these games can still be enjoyable, with a sensitive and stage-appropriate approach.

In the classroom, games are teacher-led, and children are encouraged to use logic and reasoning to achieve an outcome. Structured activities can be effective in teaching specific subjects, such as math's or phonics. However, preschoolers may find it hard to concentrate on teacher-led activities for extended periods of time, so this type of learning is best practiced for not longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

The pressure that children face today to excel academically, along with their packed schedules and the prevalence of electronic gadgets that deliver instant entertainment, means the amount of time young minds and bodies spend playing is reaching a critical low.

Ensuring children can engage in both free and guided play daily, both in educational settings and at home, is essential for raising curious, happy, and unique children who are eager to learn.

The Power of Playful Parenting

The importance of play is an integral part of children's daily lives and their environment. Therefore, parents and caregivers play a crucial role in nurturing play opportunities at home, whether through open-ended toys, imaginative play scenarios, or outdoor adventures. By welcoming play into daily routines, even small moments of play can make a significant difference in your child's life. It is essential to remember that your child will cherish the memories of you being there to have fun and discover the world together. Those precious memories are yours for the taking!

As children grow, the way they play changes. Therefore, it is important to engage and encourage them to play in ways that are appropriate for their stage of development. Below are some age-specific ideas for playful learning for parents and caregivers. Remember, all children are unique and develop differently, so it is crucial to provide experiences that are appropriate for each child's stage of development.

0 to 12 months
The most beautiful thing is that playful learning starts with a baby's first smile. When you respond to a baby's smile with one of your own, you are engaging in a form of play that teaches the baby a critical social-emotional skill. They learn that they can get your attention and a smile from you anytime, just by smiling themselves. The simple game of peek-a-boo can work wonders as well. As babies learn to move and crawl, they are discovering new textures, tastes, sights and sounds, so create a safe space for them to explore, including:

• placing toys or objects within reach for them to grab (or out of reach to encourage crawling)
• giving them a container with objects inside so they can practice taking them out and putting them back in
• hiding a toy under a blanket and see if they look for it
• playing music and singing songs
• going outside and describing what you are see and hear.

1 to 3 years
As children grow, they will be curious to explore further afield and start interacting with other children. As adults, we can support them by staying by their side and engaging with them, while allowing them to take the lead. Ways to help and encourage them at this state of their development include:

• playing with blocks, empty containers, wooden spoons and shape sorters
• supervising more challenging physical activity – jumping, running, climbing 
• looking at picture books and reading stories, talk about the pictures, or imagine what might happen next
• providing opportunities for make-believe play, where they can imitate adult activities, such as talking on the phone, cleaning the house, or driving
• arranging playdates where children can play alongside each other.

4 to 6 years
By this age, children are curious and much more social, their language skills are well developed. They have their own interests and play becomes more complex. Fun and learning can be fostered by:

• supporting their interest by providing resources and spending time together researching
• creating opportunities to draw, dance and sing
• telling or reading stories and asking them about what they have heard
• encouraging imaginary play, where children take on roles and activities. You may provide props and dress-up clothes as prompts, but allow the play to be unstructured
• setting up play dates to encourage sharing and cooperative play.

About the Author

My name is Isabella Vasinova, and I am a Froebelian practitioner who has been working with young children and their families for the past 10 years. Over a year ago, I moved to the Cayman Islands to work at Little Trotters Farm & Nursery School. I hold a degree in Childhood Education from Edinburgh University in Scotland, and during my studies, I often turned to research to explore the wonders of Early Years education. Through my research, I gained a deeper understanding of children and childhood, which helped me to become an advocate of their rights. My research was published in a book called 'Play is the Way' by Sue Palmer, and in 2023, I became a co-author for an Early Years journal. I have always advocated for children to be their unique selves and to reach their full potential. I strongly believe that play is one of the most important tools in Early Years education, and I hope I have inspired you with ideas to help your children learn through play.