Play is recognized as a right of every child (UNCRC, 1989). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly emphasized that play is not just a pastime for children; it is a fundamental human right (Molu, 2023).
What Is Play?
Many definitions have been published in an attempt to explain what play is. Brown & Gottfried (1985) noted that play is related to children's social and emotional development. It is an important indicator of children's language and symbol systems, and of the meanings children give to persons, places, and events. It is also an index of children's imagination, curiosity, motivation, preferences, interests, and persistence.
Play is the fabric of childhood.
Clifton & Dodd (1998) also define play as a natural activity that fosters the development of cognitive skills, positive social and emotional behaviours, verbal and non-verbal communication, and motor proficiency.
Play as a Vehicle for Development
Research has shown that play can be used as a medium to encourage the development of cognitive, social, and motor skills, communication, and imagination in children. Children begin to integrate the things that they are learning and begin to explore their environment through play (Gowrie NSW, n.d.).
According to Garvey (1990), the key characteristics of play should be:
- Intrinsically motivating — children play because they want to
- Pleasurable and enjoyable — play brings joy
- Having no extrinsic goals — the process matters more than the outcome
- Involving active engagement on the part of the player
- Having systematic relations to what is not play
Play is also important as it serves as a structure for social interaction with other children and adults. It is through play that young children learn many of their social and communication skills, including co-operating with each other, sharing, taking turns, and working collaboratively to achieve a particular goal.
Quill (2000) agrees that children use play to learn about their world and people. Restall & Magill-Evans (1994) assert that play provides a medium through which children develop skills, experiment with different roles, and interact with others.
Did you know? Play also supports motor skill development in preschoolers. Quinones & Opingo (2025) found a significant relationship between play behaviour and the motor skills of preschool-aged children — further evidence that play is truly foundational to whole-child development.
Play in Early Childhood Education
In early childhood education, play occupies a central place because it constitutes a privileged form of expression, communication, and symbolic elaboration by the child. Campos et al. state that in playing, the child interprets the world, constructs meanings, and establishes relationships with others and with culture. Thus, understanding play as language implies recognizing that the child expresses, communicates, and learns through playful, bodily, and symbolic actions.
Vygotsky (2007), from a historical-cultural perspective, understands play as a fundamental activity for the development of higher psychological functions. By assuming roles and rules in play, the child operates with meanings that go beyond the immediate situation, creating zones of proximal development.
Communication in early childhood is not only about verbal expression but also involves non-verbal cues like body language, facial expressions, and eye contact (Yee et al., 2022). Children at this stage also start to learn the basics of effective communication, such as taking turns in conversation, understanding the perspectives of others, and using language to problem-solve or negotiate with peers (Berk, 2015).
Role play, in particular, plays a significant role in this process. Putri & Hasiana (2025) found that the role play method had a notable positive impact on enhancing communication skills in early childhood, as it provides children with authentic opportunities to practice language in meaningful social contexts.
Burk & Mollenkopf (2025) highlight practical, classroom-ready approaches for implementing play in early childhood education settings — reminding us that educators are key facilitators of playful learning. Teachers who perceive play as purposeful are more likely to create environments where children flourish.
Play and Children with Autism
Studies have found that children with autism are disadvantaged in their use of play for developmental purposes. Young children with autism often have notably poor play skills and so do not participate in the natural and meaningful activities associated with play. Their play may be characterized by a fixation on certain objects or rituals and by withdrawal and self-isolation. Though they may eventually develop an interest in a wider range of objects, their play typically remains solitary, with social behaviour restricted to some onlooking or parallel play (Clifton & Dodd, 1998).
Ungerer & Sigman (1981) suggested that the play behaviours that eventually lead to the development of symbolic play become apparent in young children in the first two years of life. Children with autism, however, do not naturally develop the symbolic play skills that allow them to engage in pretend or imaginative play with other children. They have to be taught play sequences so that they know what to do in play sessions.
Kanner perceived autism to be a biological disorder of affective functioning, listing the main characteristics as:
- An inability to establish social relatedness
- A failure to use language normally for the purpose of communication
- An obsessive desire for the maintenance of sameness
- A fascination for objects
- Good cognitive potentialities
The play skills of children with autism are different from other children. They do not follow typical patterns of play development. For them, the play skills that form the foundation for later social relating do not develop naturally — they need assistance to master necessary skills, particularly functional play skills.
Their play is less varied and integrated and is more likely to be characterised by repetitive actions such as opening and closing doors or driving a toy car backwards and forwards. Children with autism tend to play with toys in a repetitive, stereotypic way by spinning wheels and sorting and categorising objects. They are more interested in manipulating objects than playing with them in functional ways. They show little interest in playing socially with other children (Dodd, 2005).
The Power of Play Therapy
Research has found that play therapy helps improve social dimensions such as eye contact, reciprocal communication, cooperation, and emotional expression. Adibah et al. (2025) suggest that play therapy should be integrated into inclusive education practices as part of social interventions for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Play therapy has also proven to be one of the most effective methods of working with children's fears and anxieties (Zameliuk, 2025).
Sand Play Therapy
Sand Play Therapy has emerged as a promising intervention for addressing emotional disturbances in children. It allows children to express unconscious emotions and internal conflicts through symbolic representation in a sandbox.
The nonverbal and creative nature of sand play facilitates psychological healing by enabling children to construct a visual narrative of their inner world (Davita & Sandra, 2023). Several studies have explored the therapeutic benefits of sand play — children who participated in structured sand play sessions showed significant reductions in anxiety and behavioral problems. Sand play therapy improved emotional regulation and social interaction among children exposed to trauma. These findings suggest that sand play can be particularly effective for children who struggle to articulate their emotions verbally (Freedle, Bozzi & Bergmann, 2015).
Cooperative Play
Cooperative play, commonly abbreviated as co-play, has also been found to enhance the relationship bond between family members (Zhang et al., 2024). When families engage in play together, they build connection, trust, and shared joy — all of which extend well beyond the play session itself.
Barriers to Play for Children with Disabilities
Children with disabilities often face significant barriers to outdoor play (Atkinson et al., 2017; Engelen et al., 2021; Schreuer et al., 2013). These include both physical and social barriers that limit their participation in play activities.
Physical barriers include environments that are not accessible or insufficiently challenging. Morgenthaler et al. (2023) identified that playground design plays a crucial role in inclusive play — environments must be both physically accessible and sensory-friendly to invite genuine participation.
Social barriers relate to difficulties in establishing interactions between children with and without disabilities, which may be influenced by disability-based stigma, including negative feelings and expectations regarding the physical and social abilities of children with disabilities (Beekhuizen et al., 2025; Bloemen et al., 2015; Engelen et al., 2021).
Visser et al. (2025) describe a troubling dynamic: physical segregation in play spaces reinforces a lack of social acceptance, which in turn deepens segregation — a vicious circle that requires intentional intervention to break. Barron et al. (2017) similarly emphasise that environmental factors are among the most influential — yet most overlooked — dimensions of play access for children with disabilities.
Children on the autism spectrum cannot be excluded from these challenges. Their play skills are different from other children, and they need structured support to develop functional play abilities.
A Message to Parents
There is no doubt that play does not come as naturally to parents as it does to children. It is not uncommon for parents to say they are bored by play or that they struggle to engage in play with their children for lengthy periods. However, it is important that you are present during play with your child wherever possible. This can help strengthen your bond and also presents opportunities for teaching and learning.
O'Connor et al. (2023) emphasized that active parental involvement during play activities is associated with significant improvements in children's fine and gross motor skills.
As facilitators and therapists collaborate to promote the holistic development of children, you as parents also have the responsibility to support, reinforce, and continue these interventions and strategies at home that are implemented in educational and clinical settings.
When a child doesn't thrive, you fix the environment in which they learn, not the child.
References
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At Blooming & Beyond, we use play-based approaches to support the development of every child. If you'd like to learn more about our facilitation services, get in touch with us.