People often talk about play as if it were a relief from serious learning or a "waste of time." But for children, play is serious learning. It is a way for them to learn who they are, how the world works, and how to express feelings.

School Readiness

There is a lot of emphasis today on school readiness. Only a small part of readiness has to do with ABC's and counting to 10. To be ready for school, children need a foundation of self-esteem, self-control, symbolic thinking, and the ability to cope with their feelings. Play is the most natural way for children to develop in all of those areas. So when you make sure there's time for play each day, you are helping them be ready for school!

Self-Esteem

The most important foundation that children can bring to school is feeling good about themselves. We need to tell children they are special, but that message is even stronger when children feel it inside themselves when they have successes through their day. One more block makes the tower higher...here's the last piece of that puzzle. Play is such a good way for children to know, "I can do it!"

Self-Control

Children can also learn self-control though play. "Sit still...follow directions...no talking now." Those are all familiar phrases in kindergarten and first grade. Being able to follow the rules and learning to wait are important things children need in order to manage in a classroom.

For many reasons two year olds and three year olds can't sit still and be quiet. But when they play, they develop self-control. Through play they learn how to take turns, share, negotiate, accept limits, wait, work cooperatively, see things from someone else's point of view, try again, and put things away where they belong. Almost all forms of play give a child a chance to practice these abilities.

Symbolic Thinking

Through play, children develop one of the basic tools they'll need for learning to read: symbolic thinking. When preschoolers play, they often use one thing to stand for something else. For example, they might use a pie pan for a steering wheel. They're using the pie pan as a symbol that stands for something else -- a steering wheel. When children learn to read, they need to understand that words on a page are symbols that stand for something else. For instance, the alphabet letters C-A-T stand for the animal that we know of as a cat. Children who can play symbolically are more likely to make connections between the words on a page and the ideas that those words represent.

Emotional Coping

Children can also use play as a means of emotional coping. Difficult times at home because of such things as a new baby, a doctor's appointment, unemployment, or divorce often leave children with deep and confusing feelings. Just like adults, when children are upset, they can be so tangled in their feelings that they aren't able to concentrate or pay attention.

Time and Playthings

Of course, providers can't be therapists, but they can help by making sure children have time to play and open-ended playthings like blocks, dolls or stuffed animals and family figures. When children can express their feelings through play, they have a valuable tool for managing whatever stormy times may be ahead.

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