7 Types of Play Important for Promoting Child Development [Video]

As teachers, we see firsthand how kids of all ages need to play. We understand how various types of play can be catalysts for learning, social-emotional growth, physical development, building executive functioning skills, and creativity.

Jill Vialet, play advocate and founder of the national nonprofit Playworks, goes even further, saying in her recent book Why Play Works, “Play is the antidote to disconnection, isolation, fear, distrust, and despair. … It is a source of joy that facilitates understanding across difference.” Vialet also speaks often of how play can build relationships and build equity: “Play is the original amateur activity,” she writes. “[Playing together] means we are able to share our experience in a similar way.”

Download our free printable checklist with tips for supporting different types of play at school—for both little and big kids! Just fill out the form on this page to get your copy.

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