Ms. Hernandez called her kindergarteners over to the rug for read-aloud time. Yesterday they read the book Last Stop on Market Street, in which a young boy and his grandmother travel by bus across the city. Today, they are acting out the story.
The children gather chairs into rows to pretend they are on the bus and choose roles to play. Ms. Hernandez prompts them by showing pictures from the book, and the children reenact the story. They make sound effects, pretend to get on the bus, and travel across the city. Laughter and joy fill the classroom as the children do what comes naturally—play.
I started my career as a preschool teacher, and I quickly became fascinated with the passion, energy, and creativity of children’s pretend play. I noticed that children’s play often grows from the stories they have heard or watched. They create stories about home: going shopping, feeding babies, or getting ready for work. They create stories about superheroes fighting villains. And they create stories that follow the structure of strong narratives: interesting characters, engaging situations, problems to solve, and satisfying resolutions.
Now, as a researcher and teacher educator, I know that play contributes to children’s academic development, including literacy learning. For too long, schools have treated play and learning as separate. This false separation has made it harder to create classrooms that are both playful and academically rich. In reality, play and learning go hand in hand.
I wrote the chapter “The Impact of Play on Literacy Learning in Early Childhood” in Ready to Read with my colleague Lesley Morrow because we are concerned about the rapid decline in opportunities for young children to play. As schools focus on meeting standards, there has been a well-documented push-down of curriculum expectations. However, you cannot make a five-year-old learn like a seven-year-old. At the same time, children today spend more time on screens and less time on playgrounds.
Fortunately, many policy makers are recognizing that play can be a powerful learning experience that supports children’s development across domains. In New Jersey, where we both live, public preschools are required to use a play-based curriculum. In many schools, kindergarten classrooms also include time for dramatic play as part of the daily schedule.
Research strongly supports the use of play in literacy learning like Ms. Hernandez is using in her class. Guided play—where children and teachers share control of activities—supports early literacy development in several ways.
How Play Supports Literacy Development
First, play increases vocabulary development, which is strongly linked to later reading comprehension. Studies show that children who engage in adult-guided sociodramatic play use more words, more specific vocabulary, and more complex sentences than children who only listen to read-alouds or participate in teacher-directed review activities.
Second, play strengthens storytelling and narrative skills. Sociodramatic play encourages children to use story elements such as characters, settings, and plot. These experiences help children retell stories and create their own narratives. Acting out stories or reenacting their own ideas also improves children’s recall of story events and the overall quality of their storytelling.
Finally, play promotes academic language. As children negotiate roles and describe actions during play, they practice the kind of language used in books and classroom learning. These experiences support later reading, writing, and comprehension development.
Most importantly, play brings joy into the learning process. We hope that this chapter will inspire and support teachers and administrators in finding a meaningful place for play within the early childhood literacy curriculum.
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Muriel Rand, EdD
Muriel Rand, EdD, MSW, is professor of early childhood education at New Jersey City University and a literacy coach with a focus on early literacy for the Rutgers Center for Literacy Development. In addition to preparing new teachers, Rand coaches early childhood teachers, provides professional development, consults with curriculum supervisors and principals, and does curriculum development throughout New Jersey.
