The importance of play in Early Years Education

« Play is the work of the child » M.Montessori

 Allow to explore their world

 Play : the way of learning

 Naturally explore learn and develop essential skills

«Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and
emotional well-being of children. » Kenneth R. Ginsburg (American professor of pediatrics)

 Develop cognitive, social, emotional, and physical abilities, creativity, problem-solving, and
critical thinking skills

 Encourages language development, cooperation, and conflict resolution holistic approach

to learning that sets a strong foundation for future academic and life success

« Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free
expression of what is in a child's soul" (Friedrich Froebel educator who invented the
kindergarten)

 Express and understand their emotions, fostering emotional intelligence and self-
awareness

 Foundation of learning, creativity, self-expression and constructive problem solving

 Imaginative play encourages language use and vocabulary expansion

 Explore their interests, passions, and strengths, helping them discover their talents.

For all these reasons, play is amazing because it allows us to share and learn with child and at the
same time we respect their feeling, their imagination, their world and we can convey a message
and learn a skill in an easy way.

 Importance of outdoor play

The children who spend a lot of time engaging in outdoor play have the best overall general
health (increase vitamin D level provided by the sun better mood increase energy levels improve
memory) to my mind outdoor play should have an important place in the early years education.

 Should have an important place in the early years education!

 Each child is unique

 Adapting play experiences to their individual preferences