Play Isn’t a Break from Learning, It Is Learning
Written By: Mikaela Martinez of Project Based Primary®
If you ever peek into our classroom during the middle of the day, you might see a group of kids building a tower taller than themselves out of wooden blocks. In one corner, there’s a child with a clipboard taking “pizza orders” because they are playing “restaurant”, while another is turning rocks and sticks they collected on our walk into pirate treasure. To a casual observer, it might look like they’re just playing.
But here’s the truth: They’re not “just” doing anything. They’re learning.
In fact, play is one of the most powerful ways young children build the foundational skills they need for school and life. It’s how they make sense of their world, solve problems, express ideas, and grow in confidence. As a preschool and kindergarten teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how play isn’t a pause in the learning, it is the foundation of the learning.
Play Builds the Brain
In early childhood, learning isn’t about sitting still and memorizing facts. It’s about movement, interaction, discovery, and connection. Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, says, “Play is as fundamental to our health as sleep or nutrition.”
When children engage in play, especially open-ended, imaginative, and social play, their brains are firing on all cylinders. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2018), play supports the development of executive function, which includes focus, impulse control, and flexible thinking, which are skills essential for future academic success.
For example: watch a group of children build a block tower together. They’re using early math skills (measurement, balance, spatial awareness), science (gravity, cause-and-effect), and problem-solving strategies as they adapt their structure when it tips. That’s STEM in action without a worksheet in sight.
In fact, cause-and-effect is one of the most important foundational skills for early learners. It connects to reading comprehension, it lays the foundation for scientific research, it guides their writing as they become authors, and it helps them recognize patterns and relationships in math. One way I set up a hands-on, play-centered cause-and-effect experience for my students is through our outdoor water table. We add in Glo Pals Light-Up Cubes which are water-activated sensory cubes that the kids LOVE! If you’ve never seen them in action, they light up with bright colors when submerged in water, but when you take them out, the light automatically turns off. In the beginning, my students are transfixed by just this cause-and-effect relationship, but I’ve seen students turn a basic tub of water into a glowing ocean for sea creatures. I've also seen them create a lava pit in the dramatic play volcano. It’s imaginative play, cause-and-effect learning, and rich conversation all wrapped up in joyful, hands-on discovery.
Social Skills and Emotional Growth Happen Through Play
Speaking of rich conversation, it's in the pretend time of our day that I see the most impactful conversations unfold. “You be the baby, I’ll be the mama.” “Let’s pretend we’re going to the vet because your cat is sick.” “I don’t want to play that. Let’s do something else.”
These exchanges may sound simple, but they are incredibly complex. Children are negotiating roles, building empathy, navigating conflict, and learning how to express their thoughts respectfully. They’re developing social-emotional muscles that will serve them far beyond preschool and kindergarten. But these play times can also be tricky to navigate. Conflict arises, and they are 3-6 year olds. They don’t have great conflict resolution skills, but I also find that these times are the perfect times to get down at their level and help them learn the tools to work through conflicts and big feelings.
One tool we’ve added to our calm-down basket that helps support these emotional growth moments is the Jellystone Designs Calm Down Bottle. When a child is feeling overwhelmed, they can take a few moments to shake the bottle, watch the glitter swirl, and breathe slowly. It’s a simple, soothing way to regulate big feelings and return to play ready to reconnect. It also gives children agency. They’re learning how to notice their bodies, take a break, and come back when they’re ready. That’s a big deal!
Outdoor Play: Where Bodies and Brains Grow Together
One of our favorite times of day? Outdoor play.
Running, climbing, digging, chasing, these are not just chances to “get the wiggles out.” Gross motor movement is deeply connected to cognitive growth. According to occupational therapists and early childhood experts, children need large-body movement to strengthen the vestibular system, improve balance and coordination, and support attention and focus back in the classroom. Unfortunately today, many educational systems are shortening the length of this crucial part of the day for our youngest learners or using it as a reward or consequence. However, giving students more unstructured outside playtime actually helps to make the most of the inside focused learning time. When I bring my students in from our hour long lunch and recess time, they cheer and are excited that it is time for math. Their wiggles are out, their creativity has been honored, and their social batteries are full - the focus and learning soars!
Outside, I have a large grassy area, a wooded tree and rock lined border they like to adventure in, and a shelf full of outside materials they can incorporate into their play. They love adding our Pick Up Pals from Glo Pals to the mud kitchen! Our mud kitchen has seen its better days because it has been so well-loved, but these adorable, squishy pals double as tools for scooping, grabbing, and sorting everything from leaves to rocks, to sticks and the squirrel food we leave out for our class mascots. Not only do they build hand strength and coordination, they also invite imaginative play. Suddenly we’re collecting “magic acorns” or cleaning up dragon eggs! I love that they’re fun and functional, and they strengthen their fine motor skills for their handwriting and story writing! And these aren’t just an outside toy, the kids are always eager to use them inside during sensory play as well.
So, What Can We Do as Educators and Parents?
In our classroom, I’ve seen the most reluctant learners come alive during play. A child who struggles to sit through a traditional lesson might suddenly shine when building a zoo or designing a spaceship. That spark matters. Engagement leads to persistence, and persistence leads to growth.
So here's what we must do: we can advocate for more play, not less. We can protect unstructured time in our schedules and create classroom environments rich with loose parts, sensory invitations, and open-ended materials. We can fill our spaces with tools that invite exploration and wonder, like light-up cubes in a sensory bin, scoopers for loose parts, or a sensory bottle that becomes a breath-regulation tool.
We can trust that when children are deeply engaged in meaningful play, they are learning in ways that matter. We can learn from their play and craft meaningful opportunities to integrate learning targets. We can make learning purposeful, engaging, and relevant to our learners by weaving it into their play or basing our units off the interests we see emerging in their play. Play is their most important work.
So, this International Day of Play, I’m celebrating the block towers, the play silk bins, the loose parts, the messy art projects, and the glow of joy that lights up little learners’ faces. Because in early childhood, play isn’t a break from learning. It is learning.
And that’s exactly how it should be.
About the Author
Mikaela Martinez is a licensed early childhood educator, curriculum designer, author, and founder of Project Based Primary® and Project Based Primary School in Idaho. With years of experience teaching preschool and kindergarten, Mikaela is passionate about hands-on, project-based learning that honors the way young children learn best, through curiosity, creativity, and community. She helps educators and homeschool families bring meaningful, developmentally appropriate learning to life through her online memberships, printable learning materials, courses, curriculum, and her new book - Big Project for Little Learners. You can find out more about Project Based Primary® at: www.projectbasedprimary.com and on social media @projectbasedprimary.
