What is play-based learning?

Key Insights

• Play-based learning is an intentional, research-aligned approach that uses play as the primary context for learning.
• Play and play-based learning are not the same: play-based learning requires thoughtful planning, observation, and guidance from educators.
• High-quality play-based learning supports whole-child development, including cognitive, social–emotional, language, and physical growth.
• Play exists along a spectrum, from child-directed free play to adult-guided playful experiences, and children benefit from a balance of experiences across this continuum.
• When implemented with intention, play-based learning supports school readiness and long-term academic success.

Play is central to how young children learn, think, and build relationships. When children engage in play, they are not “just playing”—they are exploring ideas, constructing knowledge, and developing higher order thinking skills that form the foundation for later academic success.

What Is Play-Based Learning?

Play-based learning is an approach to early education that uses play as the primary context for learning, guided by intentional teaching decisions. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), play-based learning recognizes that “children learn content while playing freely, with teacher guidance, or in a structured game. By harnessing children’s natural curiosity and their propensity to experiment, explore, problem-solve, and stay engaged in meaningful activities—especially when doing so with others—teachers maximize learning while individualizing learning goals.”¹

What’s the Difference Between Play and Play-Based Learning?

Although closely related, play and play-based learning are not the same.

Play is typically child-directed, joyful, and intrinsically motivated. Children choose what to play, how to play, and when to move on. Play supports development naturally and powerfully, even without adult involvement.

Play-based learning adds intention. Educators use play as a vehicle for learning by

• designing environments that invite exploration and inquiry,
• observing children to identify emerging skills and interests,
• asking questions or introducing materials that extend thinking, and
• connecting play experiences to developmental and learning goals.

In short, play is the medium. Learning is the outcome. Teachers play a critical role in shaping that outcome.

Why Is Play-Based Learning Important in Early Childhood?

When children play, they are not “just playing.” They are developing foundational skills that support later academic success and lifelong learning.

Research shows that play-based learning supports

• higher-order thinking and problem-solving^2,3,4,1
• language development and vocabulary growth^2,5,3,4,1
• executive function, self-regulation, and persistence^6,3,7,4,1
• social skills, such as cooperation, empathy, and negotiation^2,7,8,9,4,1; and
• physical development through movement and coordination^10,9,11,4,1

Play also evolves alongside children’s social and emotional development. As children grow, they often move from observing or playing independently to engaging in parallel, associative, and cooperative play. Understanding these developmental shifts helps educators and administrators design learning environments that support children’s growth while honoring individual differences.

What Are the Stages of Play?

Children learn through play from the very beginning of life. From infancy through the preschool years and beyond, play is the primary way young children explore their environment, build relationships, and develop new skills.

As their development progresses, the ways children play—and what they are able to learn through play—also become more complex. Developmental researcher Mildred Parten described this progression through her widely cited stages of play. Parten’s work highlights how children’s increasing abilities in self-regulation, communication, and perspective-taking are reflected in their play behaviors over time.¹² These stages reflect children’s increasing capacity to engage with materials, manage emotions, and interact with others.

How Does Children’s Play Evolve?

As children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and self-regulation skills grow, their capacity for more complex forms of play also expands. It is important to note that these stages are not rigid or strictly age-bound; rather, children move fluidly among them depending on context, experience, and individual development.¹²

Parten’s Six Stages of Play

1. Unoccupied Play – random movement and observing without engagement
2. Solitary Play – independent play with little attention to others
3. Onlooker Play – watching others play without joining
4. Parallel Play – playing adjacent to others without interaction
5. Associative Play – interacting/playing with others with loose organization
6. Cooperative Play – organized group play with shared goals

Because children engage in these forms of play in different ways and at different times, effective play-based learning must be flexible and responsive.  The play spectrum—from child-led free play to adult-guided playful experiences—allows educators to meet children where they are developmentally while still supporting growth over time.

What Does High-Quality Play-Based Learning Look Like in an Early Childhood Classroom?

Play and playful learning take many forms in early childhood classrooms, and this variety is essential for supporting all learners. Research shows that providing diverse play experiences helps children build knowledge, practice skills, and develop abilities in ways that align with their interests and developmental needs^4,1.

Understanding the different types of play can help you recognize learning as it unfolds and make intentional decisions about how and when to support it. The most common types of play you will see children engage in are the following.

• Social play happens with others and helps children practice communication, cooperation, empathy, and relationship-building skills.^8,4,7,1
• Physical play involves movement and activity, supporting motor skills, coordination, strength, and overall physical development.^9,4
• Dramatic play is imaginative role-playing in which children act out scenarios, explore emotions, and experiment with real-world roles and situations.^2,8,13,1
• Investigative play is centered on curiosity and discovery, wherein children explore, question, and experiment to understand how things work.^3,13,1
• Sensory play engages the senses through textures, sounds, sights, smells, or movement to support cognitive and sensory processing.^4,10
• Mastery play is focused on practicing and refining skills through repetition, challenge, and persistence to gain confidence and competence. ^3,6,7,13

Each of these types of play can exist on a spectrum from child-led to adult-led.^6,3,13.

High-quality programs intentionally support multiple stages of play and offer a strong balance of play opportunities across this spectrum, ensuring that every child experiences both autonomy and support. Viewing play as a spectrum allows administrators to look across classrooms and ask not whether children are playing but how they are playing. Where on the spectrum do most of their learning experiences fall, and is there a healthy balance?

How Can Educators Be Supported in Implementing Play-Based Learning?

While play-based learning is grounded in developmental science, successful implementation depends on the support educators receive. Research-based curricula and professional learning help teachers plan environments, observe children, and extend learning through play with intention and consistency.

Play-based learning is not a trend or a catchphrase, and it is not the opposite of rigor. It is a powerful, evidence-based approach rooted in how young children grow, think, and learn. As Dr. Nicol Russell, Chief Academic Officer at Teaching Strategies, reminds us, “Rigor is ensuring every child engages in deep, meaningful, and joyful learning.” When educators intentionally prioritize learning through play, they create classrooms where children are joyful, engaged, and developing the skills they need for lifelong success.