Developmental Benefits of Play for Children

Abstract

Children occupy so much of their daily time and energy with play that philosophers, researchers, teachers, and parents alike have all wondered about the role of play in the child's development. Clearly, play must serve some functional, evolutionary benefit for the developing child. However, the exact nature of the benefits of play has yet to be agreed upon and many explanations and theories currently abound. Hypothesized benefits of play range from the individual's cognitive, social, physical, and/or emotional development to the general preparation for adult skilled action, the perpetuation of the species, or the aesthetic appreciation of the world and its cultures. This article summarizes much of the proposed benefits of the child's play and critically reviews the empirical evidence which supports or refutes the explanatory model. Finally, the paper concludes with some suggestions for future research to more fully explicate the developmental benefits of play for the child.