Play and Young Children

two women playing with twins who are laying on the floor

Children who experience success are more likely not only to want to repeat the experience, but to want to take on new or more difficult challenges as well. Play gives children the opportunity for success. Rogers & Sawyers, 1988

What We Know | Activities | Special Needs

What We Know

Age Level

Newborns Play and Learning
0-6 months
Screen Sense: Setting the Record Straight- Research-based Guidelines for Screen Use for Children Under 3 Years Old
0-3 years
Making Room for Literacy (video podcast)
0-5 years
Interests Lead to Learning (video podcast)
0-5 years
Developmentally Appropriate Practice Virtual KITS
0-5 years
Play: How Important Is It?
0-8 years
Toddlers Play & Learning
1-2 years
Choosing Toys for Toddlers
2-3 years
PLAYing on and the Road to Literacy (pdf)
2-5 years
The Role of Children's Interest in Early Literacy and Language Development (pdf)
2-6 years
Building Language & Literacy Through Play
2-6 years
Play: Creating Time and Tools for Children to Synthesize and Integrate Concepts
3-5 years
Preschoolers Play and Learning
3-5 years
Moving Beyond Screen Time: Redefining Developmentally Appropriate Technology Use in Early Childhood Education (pdf)
3-5 years
Play's Potential In Early Literacy Development (pdf)
3-5 years
Play, Mathematics and False Dichotomies
3-6 years
Taking the long view on play in early childhood education
3-6 years
Playful learning: Where a Rich Curriculum meets a playful pedagogy
3-6 years
Teacher-led? Child-guided? Find the Balance in Preschool Classrooms
3-6 years
The Play-Literacy Nexus and the Importance of Evidence-Based Techniques in the Classroom (pdf)
3-6 years
Why Play = Learning (pdf)
3-8 years
School Age Play and Learning
5-8 years

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Activities

Age Level

Using Toys to Support Infant-Toddler Learning and Development (pdf)
0-2 years
BAM! Radio – How Singing Songs with Infants and Toddlers Helps Brain Development
0-3 years
Go Play: Making the Most of Playtime with your Child
0-3 years
Learning Numbers Through Play
0-5 years
Story Boxes: A Hands-On Literacy Experience for Children with Visual Impairments
0-5 years
Getting Kids Involved: Creating Opportunities for Learning (video)
0-5 years
Parent Practice Guides for Infant Literacy Experiences
0-5 years
Making the Most of Playtime
0-8 years
Dramatic Play for Toddlers (podcast)
1-3 years
Up, Down and All Around (podcast)
1-3 years
Books, Nooks, Literacy and Hooks
2-5 years
Assessing and Scaffolding Make-Believe Play
3-5 years

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Special Needs

Age Level

How we Play: A Guidebook for Parents and Early Intervention Professionals (pdf)
0-3 years
Learning through Play: My Baby's Hearing
0-3 years
Universal Design for Play Tool (pdf)
0-3 years
Activities/Routines that incorporate Assistive Technology
0-5 years
Zac Browser: Zone for Autistic Children
5-10 years