Play is more than fun; it supports infant and toddler learning across domains. Discover strategies for effectively managing and scaffolding play and creating play-friendly activities and environments.
Through play, children learn about the world while practicing the skills that allow them to explore it. When we play with children, we provide learning environments that are rich with context and meaning. These joyful experiences help children learn!
Play supports infants’ and toddlers’ development. Learn how to incorporate more playful learning activities into your program. Examine techniques for creating play-friendly environments in centers and at home.
Children learn through play every single day. Watch these videos to find out what — and how — children learn as they play.
Messy play is the active exploration of materials like water and paper. It offers rich learning experiences for infants and toddlers. Listen to this podcast for strategies to make this activity fun and manageable.
This Research on the Go podcast focuses on learning environments that support children's creativity. It summarizes the latest research and discusses implications and practical applications.
Messy play is the open-ended exploration of materials and their properties. Learn ways to manage the mess as children learn foundational cognitive principles and exercise motor, language, and social skills.
This suite highlights the key components of make-believe play. It describes what play looks like for children ages birth to 5 and provides practical ways to support make-believe play for all children.
From an early age, the arts can help children communicate and connect. Discover how arts experiences support young children's development across the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework domains.
Learn how to integrate the arts into activities that support children's school readiness across the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains.