"With knowledge of how play benefits your child—plus a few of the right toys at different stages—you can help make sure your child develops into a well-rounded individual.”
“Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.”1
“A child’s social-emotional development is as important as her brain and physical development.”
“Enjoyable play experiences in the early years give children motivation to work toward learning to read and write.”
“Make-believe or pretend play, with guidance and support from adults, blossoms in the preschool years and allows children to make a number of cognitive gains as they try out new ideas and skills.”2
“Through play, children learn about themselves and others, about how things work and about the world around them. And every play experience helps prepare them for school.”
“Decades of research have documented that play has a crucial role in the optimal growth, learning, and development of children from infancy through adolescence.”
“Play is important to healthy brain development.”1
