The Importance of Play in Learning

Play takes many forms, but the heart of play is pleasure — an important component in learning.

Through play Yello Dyno teaches children key lessons that can save their lives."Your children learn simple lyrics attached to memorable songs. They are left with a joyous image of running like the wind... but in a time of crisis these lyrics come right back and they act on them to stay safe."

- David Ham, song writer of the Can't Fool Me! CD

Play takes many forms, but the heart of play is pleasure — an important component in learning.

Research by:  By Bruce Duncan Perry, M.D., Ph.D.

Some people think of play as the opposite of work. They think of it with goofing off, being lazy, lack of achievement, or, at best, recreation. "Stop playing and get to work!" Yet, as many of you probably know, it is through play that we do much of our learning. We learn best when we are having fun. Play, more than any other activity, fuels healthy development of children — and the continued healthy development of adults.

 Play takes many forms, but the heart of all play is pleasure. If it isn't fun, it isn't play. We play from birth on — we play using our bodies (building with blocks) and our minds (fantasy play). We use words to play (jokes, wit, humor) and we use props (blocks, toys, games). While the exact nature of play evolves, becoming more complex as we grow, play at all ages brings pleasure.

What Young Children Know
Play enhances every domain of a child's development. Gross-motor skills, such as walking, kicking, or skipping, can be strengthened when a toddler pushes a toy grocery cart or an older child jumps rope. When a young child kicks a ball across the room, she is practicing coordination by balancing on one foot to kick with the other.

Fine-motor and manipulation skills are developed while a child builds and colors a sign for a backyard tree house. When throwing and catching a ball, a child practices hand-eye coordination and the ability to grasp.

Children practice and develop language skills during play. A child's play with words, including singsong games and rhymes that accompany games of tag, can help him master semantics, practice spontaneous rhyming, and foster word play.

The child's cognitive capacity is enhanced in games by trial and error, problem solving, and practice discriminating between relevant and irrelevant information. Play requires the child to make choices and direct activities and often involves strategy, or planning, to reach a goal.

Interpersonal/social skills, ranging from communication to cooperation, develop in play. Children learn about teamwork when they huddle together and decide who plays each position in a pick-up soccer game. The child gains an understanding about those around him and may become more empathic and less egocentric. When playing with peers, children learn a system of social rules, including ways to control themselves and tolerate their frustrations in a social setting.

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