The United Nations identifies play as an inalienable right of children because of the unique joy and connectedness it brings to life (United Nations, 1989). Aside from joy and other positive emotions, however, are there benefits to play? As children grow older, play often is seen as antithetical to learning the types of skills necessary for a successful adulthood. In fact, how often do we say to children, “Quit playing around and be serious!”? 

Are there developmental benefits of play?

There is evidence, however, that play is incredibly important not only for our wellbeing as humans, but also for our ability to learn and gain skills. Karyn Purvis, the late child development expert, often is cited for her statement that it takes 400 repetitions of a new skill to create a new synapse in the brain but only twelve repetitions if that skill is learned and repeated during joy and laughter. When we experience joy, such as during play, the brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which catalyzes the growth of new synapses and enhances the pathways of the new learned activity (Speranza et al., 2021). In other words, play may be an integral part of the learning process. 

Play also has been shown to increase creativity, empathy, social skills, and self control (Elias & Berk, 2002; Miller & Almon, 2009), all of which are incredibly important for civic life and an ability to forge healthy relationships. But if relationships and civic engagement are not priorities for you, there also is evidence that children with poor social skills tend to do worse in school and drop out earlier than those with good social skills (Caprara et al., 2000; Coie & Dodge, 1998). In fact, research even suggests that children with more recess (unstructured play time throughout the school day) have overall better behavior and similar or better academic performance than their peers with less or no recess (Howie et al., 2023).

What are the types of play and which ones are best for child development?

There are many different types of play, but for the purposes of this post, we will differentiate between child-directed play (or free play), adult-assisted play, and adult-directed play.  

Child-directed free play consists of activities that are not dictated by adults, are free from formal rules, are process-oriented, and are determined in the moment by the interests of the child or the group of children involved (Pellegrini, 2009). Trying to build various types of castles using blocks and a social role-play game between friends are two examples of child-directed play. Adults can play along with children during child-directed play, but the adult follows the child’s lead in the activity. Rich, free play experiences refine the wiring and control of the prefrontal cortex, which allows for greater adaptability, problem-solving, and skillful navigation of complex social interactions later in life (Pellis, Pellis, & Himler, 2014). Child directed play also contributes to skills in decision-making, self-advocacy, conflict resolution, and a sense of one’s own passions (Erikson, 1985; Huritz, 2002)

Adult-assisted play is play in which adults structure the play environment but largely allow the child to control the play activity, intervening only periodically to help the child move toward a new competency (Hakkarainen et al., 2013; Weisberg et al., 2015). When the child engages in an activity that is just beyond his level of competency, the adult offers just enough assistance to teach a new way of engaging and allow the child to then complete the task independently. The child, having just learned a new problem-solving technique, can then use this on his own in successive attempts at similar tasks (Wass & Golding, 2014).  This may look like an adult saying, “What if we turn the piece this way?” to a child playing with blocks who is struggling to understand that the blocks are better able to create a structure if turned a different way. Not only do children acquire new skills in adult-assisted play, the process of child and adult collaboration, which involves communication and attunement, can improve language and emotion regulation outcomes as well (Cabrera et al., 2017).

Adult-directed play is play in which adults set the rules, offer instructions, limit the scope of activity, and determine the desired outcome of the activity. Examples of adult-directed play can range from participating on a competitive soccer team to playing a board game at home with the family to a group activity like duck-duck-goose led by the teacher during class circle time. 

In these types of activities, children learn to work together (Knee et al., 2006), follow instructions and rules (Johnson et al., 2019), and control impulses in favor of self-regulation (Savina, 2014). 

While there is some evidence that child-directed play is most beneficial for young children (Pellegrini, 2009; Robson, 2015), each of these three types of play have benefits and contribute to a child’s overall development. One of the unique offerings of daycare is that all three types of play are present throughout the day, giving children rich opportunities to reap the benefits of self-directed play, learn from adults, and cooperate with and interact in normative ways with peers.