Why Play Is an Important Part of Early Education

In the nineteenth century, Friedrich Fröbel, widely regarded as the father of preschool education, proposed using play as an important way to educate young children.

William Shakespeare once said that play is a child’s “work.”

Russian educator Konstantin Ushinsky also emphasized the value of play, noting that games should be used to help children learn how to control and master their own movements.

Lu Xun, one of China’s most influential writers, once said that play is the most natural activity for children, while toys are their angels.

For children, every day is filled with opportunities to learn through play. When they play construction site games, for example, they may explore how pulleys work. When they play restaurant games, they encounter printed materials and money. When they help a friend with a disability get onto an outdoor platform, they learn how to solve problems.

The central idea of high-quality early childhood education is play, regardless of differences in the educational environment. Play is an activity that children choose and direct themselves, giving them rich opportunities to learn. When children use play to explore their own ideas about how the world works, they tend to become deeply engaged in what they are doing.

Maria Montessori taught that children learn best when they are interested in what they are doing. John Dewey also reminded us that children enjoy taking part in real and meaningful work. In other words, children understand the world by becoming involved in it and build their knowledge through projects and activities that have meaning to them.

Lev Vygotsky emphasized the importance of social learning between children and between children and teachers who take on the role of facilitators. This role is important because teachers who value children’s ideas can support those ideas and help take their learning to a higher level without interrupting their play. Finding the right balance requires sensitivity and careful observation.

Young children also need a curriculum that is built around play. Of course, children need opportunities to play without being driven by external rewards or pressure. In an interesting environment, they can happily spend several hours playing. The important point is the word “interesting,” rather than simply having an environment filled with equipment or materials.

When young children are given opportunities and enough time to play, they can create complex games using simple materials such as cardboard boxes, stones, and sand. Many people have seen what a play-based curriculum looks like in practice. In contrast, play is sometimes treated as something separate from the curriculum.

When play is considered separate from the curriculum, it is often restricted to a very short period of time. More attention may be given to safety than to whether the activity is enjoyable or what teachers can learn by observing the children at play. In the so-called “real” curriculum, play may even be treated as a distraction.

For children, every day is full of opportunities to learn through play. While playing construction site games, they may investigate how pulleys work. During restaurant games, they may interact with printed materials and money. When helping a friend with a disability reach an outdoor platform, they learn how to solve problems. When they combine scissors with modeling clay during play, they develop their fine motor skills.

Teachers have the privilege of making use of children’s natural willingness to explore. By encouraging their curiosity and creating engaging learning experiences, teachers can help children develop a lasting interest in learning.

Play also has an important role in children’s development of social understanding. Many games include catchy rhymes and enjoyable children’s songs. These songs and rhymes often contain knowledge about nature and society, helping children broaden their horizons and expand their understanding of the world around them.

Play is also a way for children to understand everyday life, learn about other people, and become familiar with society. For example, when children play traditional games such as “Ding Guo Gai,” they may encounter everyday knowledge related to cooking foods such as stir-fried peppers, chives, and tomatoes with eggs.

While having fun, children apply what they have learned to their games. When these activities are combined with traditional music and folk art, children can enjoy themselves while also experiencing and discovering cultural traditions. Through play, they gradually become familiar with the long-standing and distinctive folk culture of their own community.

Play can also help children develop prosocial behavior. Many games require several children to cooperate in order to participate successfully, which naturally gives them opportunities to develop communication and cooperation skills.

Games also have rules. In order to take part, children need to coordinate with one another, work together, resolve interpersonal conflicts on their own, learn to control their behavior and emotions, understand and care for others, and treat people equally.

At the same time, children naturally change roles during play, and leadership can emerge and change from one child to another. These experiences give children opportunities to learn coordination and organization, cooperation and teamwork, sharing and making sacrifices, helping and following others, as well as understanding and tolerance. Through these experiences, children can gradually develop a sense of responsibility and an awareness of being part of a group.

Play can also contribute to the development of positive character and moral qualities. Play is part of children’s nature, so incorporating character education into play is a way that fits naturally with how children learn and develop.

For example, role-playing games can encourage children to show care and kindness toward others. Building and construction games can help develop independence and concentration. Physical games can encourage optimism and courage, while games with rules can help children develop honesty and responsibility. Every game contains opportunities for children to begin developing positive character traits, and a good early childhood education environment can allow children to develop these qualities through play.

Consider writing the word “play” on one side of a sheet of paper and “character” on the other. Under play, we can list its characteristics, definitions, and meanings. Under character, we can list the qualities that children need as they grow. When we try to connect the two sides, we can see that there are natural relationships between them. When we say that play helps develop children’s character, it is because the characteristics of play itself create opportunities for character development.

Play can also contribute to the development of children’s personalities and positive emotions. Some games involve competition, which means that children experience both success and failure while playing.

Children often have a strong desire to win, but interesting and enjoyable games can also keep them deeply engaged. This can help them cope with the disappointment and frustration that come with failure, recognize their own weaknesses, work to overcome them, and continue participating in the game.

Through this process, children learn self-control, develop greater resilience when facing setbacks, improve their ability to distinguish right from wrong and evaluate themselves appropriately, and gradually develop a more optimistic and outgoing personality.

For children, one of the most valuable forms of education is play. It gives children the freedom to express their natural instincts and curiosity. Physical and emotional well-being during childhood is often closely connected with healthy physical development and a well-rounded personality later in life.

Parents and teachers can give children more opportunities to spend time outdoors and take part in activities that allow them to experience the simple joy of childhood. Through these playful experiences, children can develop in a healthy way and enjoy a happy and memorable childhood.