The Science Behind Play And Its Role In Early Learning And Brain Development

Danielle Tannous

From a developmental science perspective, play is the primary way young children learn. Toddlers learn through exploration, repetition and interaction. They touch, they test, they try, they fail, they try again, and somewhere in that loop, understanding takes root. Play gives children a natural and motivating way to experiment with ideas, solve problems, and build meaning from experience. I often describe it as “practising real life.”

Brain development

What is particularly fascinating is what happens in the brain during play. When children play, multiple areas of the brain light up at once: movement, language, social connection, emotional processing and problem-solving. The brain is essentially wiring itself through experience and strengthening neural connections with every repeated attempt. Over time, these play-based experiences build the pathways that support memory, emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility later on.

Play is key for emotional development

One of the most important areas play supports is emotional development. Toddlers have big feelings and very small tools to manage them. Play gives them a safe space to express emotions and begin understanding what those emotions mean. Through pretend play and storytelling, children rehearse real-life situations. When a toddler plays “family” or “doctor”, they are exploring care, comfort, boundaries, fear, reassurance, and control.

If we lean into the science for a moment, think of the amygdala as a barking dog. It reacts quickly and loudly to stress. The question is whether that barking settles or escalates. For a toddler, the barking often feels uncontrollable at first. Through play, children get endless opportunities to practise calming the barking dog, to experiment with reactions, and to learn what helps them settle.

Imaginative play and role-play

Imaginative play and role play allow children to try on different roles and feelings without pressure. Dolls, figurines, dress-up clothes, a cardboard box turned into a rocket, these are not small things in a child’s world. Open-ended dramatic play lets children act out experiences and process emotions in a way that feels safe and comfortable.

Play is also one of the fastest routes to language development. Language grows rapidly when children are motivated to communicate what they are doing and experiencing. During play with adults or peers, toddlers hear new words, practise conversation, and learn to link language with meaning. Also, body language, tone, comprehension, and “reading” cues are all part of how toddlers learn to communicate.

Then there is problem-solving, which is often underestimated in toddlers because their problem-solving does not look like ours. Open-ended play materials are brilliant here. Blocks, puzzles, loose parts, construction toys, anything that can be used in more than one way. When a child builds a tower and it falls, they are learning persistence. They are experimenting and refining.

Movement

Active play is essential for gross motor development in toddlerhood. Running, climbing, jumping and balancing build the large muscle groups children need, but they also build confidence and independence. Climbing structures, pushing ride-on toys, dancing, chasing bubbles, or navigating a simple obstacle course all develop coordination, strength and spatial awareness.

Fine motor development is supported through play too, with puzzles, stacking toys, drawing, threading beads, clay, playdough, and anything that strengthens the hands and fingers.

Social skills

Socially, play is where children begin learning how to be with others. Both solo play and group play matter. Independent play supports concentration, independence and creativity. Group play supports sharing, turn-taking, cooperation and communication. The healthiest environments allow children to move between both naturally.

If I could offer parents one piece of advice about play in the toddler years, it would be this: allow your child time and space to play freely. When a child has good self-esteem, knows how to regulate emotionally, and feels comfortable socially, strong academics tend to follow. Because learning is not only about what a child knows, it’s about how safe and capable they feel while learning.

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