The Importance of Play in Child Development
- The Green Elephant
- Nov 24, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 1
In a rush? Here's a quick rundown.
Play isn't just something children do — it's the strongest form of learning. The right environment, tools, and stimuli dramatically change the quality and depth of play children engage in.
Through play, children learn how to process and navigate their own sense of self, build confidence, negotiate roles with others, and establish their identity.
Repetition during play builds strong neural pathways (synapses) — when children repeat actions and revisit toys, they're developing essential skills for life.
Play-based learning supports holistic development — cognitive, physical, emotional, and social growth happen together, not in isolation.
Play in childcare is an essential part of the curriculum. Often "play" is seen as something children just do, requiring minimal adult intervention. However, early childhood professionals see this very differently.
Setting children up with the right environment, tools, and stimuli to play with dramatically changes the type of play they engage in. Think of it like this: if you go to cook dinner and there's nothing in the pantry, the kitchen's a mess, and the utensils are broken, your inspiration to create something delicious will be limited. It's the same for children when they're playing.
That gorgeous imagination and wonder starts within their minds, of course, but add some intrigue and encouragement and the heights that play reaches become limitless.
Play at Different Ages
Play looks different at every stage of development, and understanding this helps us create the right environments for children to thrive.
Babies (0-12 Months)
Play for babies comes in the simplest yet most effective ways. Singing during nappy changing, tummy time, and sensory exploration all ignite a child's inner want to engage and explore.
When babies are very young, routines can feel all-consuming, with the next nappy change, feed, or sleep just around the corner. Capitalising on these moments to still offer your child moments of play is the key to success.
Essential play experiences for babies:
Exploring different textures
Understanding trajectories (how things move)
Sensory outputs (sounds, sights, touch)
Simple cause-and-effect discoveries
All of this sounds fancy but can be achieved through something as simple as a cloth book with flaps and squidgy bits, or a soft ball that can be rolled and dropped. Learning the foundational skills needed for future development happens naturally through these playful moments.
Toddlers (1-3 Years)
As children grow older and start to engage more with their wider environment, play becomes an essential component in their cognitive, physical, and emotional functioning.
It is through play that children learn how to process and navigate their own sense of self. Following your child's lead and embedding their interests into their play experiences is fundamental.
What toddlers gain through play:
Exploring their surroundings through nature hunts and discovery
Learning to negotiate roles within play
Establishing self-identity
Building confidence and asserting their own will
Having fun along the way!
Nature hunts and role play reflecting "real-life" experiences give children the chance to explore their world. They learn that play isn't just play — it's the way children explore who they are in relation to others.
Preschoolers (3-5 Years)
As children reach the 3-to-4-year-old phase of life, they show more will to play with others. Children at this age develop stronger friendships with peers, have preferences within their play styles, and this is often when we see a strong sense of identity forming.
Reading children's cues and listening to what they contribute is the greatest way to engage them in effective play. That's why you'll often hear "play-based" and "child-led" used within childcare curriculum — children's want to play is the first step in creating inspiring play contexts.
Play supports school readiness through:
Imaginative thinking and creativity
Problem-solving skills
Confidence building
Social negotiation
Self-regulation
Ultimately, play is the strongest form of learning. Even as children transition to school, play remains an essential component of being prepared — confident learners who can think creatively and solve problems.
How Play Supports Development
When it comes to development, children rely on strong role models to show them the way — they learn from each other, as well as their educators. Play is a great opportunity to show children the whys and hows, whilst avoiding old-style rote learning which just isn't as engaging for young minds.
Building Neural Pathways
When learning new skills, our brains need repetition to build strong synapses — the pathways from one nerve cell to another.
Ever drive your car home for the 100th time and not remember turning at the last roundabout? This is because the synapse in your brain has been so well-developed through repetition that you could probably close your eyes and imagine the whole route turn for turn.
It's the same during play. Children will often:
Repeat actions over and over
Revisit the same toys
Reiterate the same movements
This isn't boring or uncreative — it's how they build the connectors across their entire bodies. Giving children space and time to play isn't just about having fun; it truly is the first step in helping them build skills essential for life.
Physical Development and Risky Play
Physical development through play is probably quite obvious — we all picture children running, jumping, and hopping through a happy childhood. But physical activity also gives children the chance to engage in risky play that is essential in building confidence and a "go-get-them" attitude.
Developmentally appropriate risk-taking includes:
Climbing and balancing
Jumping from heights
Using tools
Exploring speed and momentum
Testing physical limits
Even our youngest children have opportunities to take physical risks by pulling themselves up onto low-level furniture or cruising around child-height tables — things that often aren't possible in the adult-sized world they face regularly.
A Holistic Approach to Play-Based Learning
"Holistic development" is often a term used in childcare to describe how learning happens in an interconnected way. We don't see development as isolated segments of a child, but instead recognise the multi-layered nature of children's progress.
Language Development
During all moments of children's learning and play, the language we use (both verbal and non-verbal) is planned and considered. Educators capitalise on moments of routine and daily activity to introduce, model, and reaffirm positive language use.
Play provides natural opportunities for:
New vocabulary introduction
Conversational turn-taking
Following instructions
Expressing ideas and feelings
Storytelling and narrative building
Creativity
This pursuit isn't simply about the arts — it's about giving children the chance to explore their imaginations in an unbounded way.
Creativity is about the process, not the outcome. Providing children with the tools, environment, and (most importantly) freedom to use trial and error during creative expression is essential.
Exploration
The key to all play is exploration! Play shouldn't be seen as something adults must constantly intervene in — this is why the way you set up the play context is essential.
If a child can reach or access something, it can be played with. Young children don't see the logical differences that we do — a pen on the children's table versus the educator's pot is the same thing to a child.
Set up their play environment purposefully, with clear intention, and a child's exploration during play can be limitless.
Creating Environments That Inspire Play
The quality of play depends heavily on the environment provided. Purposeful play spaces should be:
Well-resourced — With open-ended materials that can be used in multiple ways
Accessible — Children can independently access what they need
Intentional — Set up with clear learning possibilities in mind
Flexible — Able to be adapted to follow children's interests
Safe but challenging — Allowing appropriate risk-taking within secure boundaries
When children have access to thoughtfully prepared environments, their natural curiosity and imagination take over, and learning happens organically through play.
FAQ
Why is play important for child development?
Play is the strongest form of learning for young children. Through play, children develop cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills simultaneously. They build neural pathways through repetition, learn to process their sense of self, negotiate with others, build confidence, and develop problem-solving skills — all while having fun.
What is play-based learning?
Play-based learning is an approach where children learn through purposeful play experiences rather than formal instruction. Educators set up environments with intentional resources and stimuli, then follow children's interests and cues to extend learning. It recognises that children are naturally curious and learn best when engaged and motivated.
How does play help babies develop?
For babies, play builds foundational skills through sensory exploration — experiencing different textures, trajectories (how things move), sounds, and sights. Simple activities like singing during nappy changes, tummy time, and exploring cloth books with flaps build neural connections essential for all future learning.
What is risky play and why is it important?
Risky play involves age-appropriate physical challenges like climbing, balancing, jumping, and testing physical limits. It's essential for building confidence, physical skills, and a healthy attitude toward challenges. Quality childcare provides environments where children can take risks safely, with appropriate supervision.
Should adults intervene in children's play?
Adults should set up purposeful play environments rather than constantly intervening. The role is to observe, support when needed, and extend learning through thoughtful interactions — not to direct every moment. When play spaces are well-resourced and intentionally designed, children's exploration can be limitless.
See Play-Based Learning in Action
Book a tour and discover how The Green Elephant creates inspiring play environments where children learn, develop, and thrive through purposeful play.
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