Play is a Child’s Occupation

Play is a Child’s Occupation

When adults think of “work,” we often picture offices, meetings, and deadlines. For children, their work is play. In occupational therapy, we even call play a child’s “occupation,” because it is how they learn, grow, and make sense of the world.

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I always turn therapy into play. When children are engaged and having fun, they are motivated to practice new skills, whether it’s moving their bodies, building their skills, or strengthening their language and literacy skills. Play is how children learn, grow and develop.

Are Children Getting Enough Play?

Unfortunately, children are playing less than ever before. Increased screen time, structured lifestyles, busy family schedules, and more academic pressure in early grades all add up to less free, unstructured play.

Research shows:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least 60 minutes of active play every day.

• Many children, especially in preschool and early elementary school, get far less than that.

• Studies link reduced playtime to higher stress, less creativity, and more difficulties with social-emotional skills.

Different Types of Play

Play looks different as children grow. Each stage is important:

• Toddlers (1–3 years):
  Toddlers learn through exploration. They enjoy stacking blocks, filling and dumping containers, pretending to feed a doll, or running, climbing, and finding new things to explore. Parents can join in by narrating what’s happening and modeling pretend play and setting up scenarios to encourage imaginative play to build creativity.

• Preschoolers (3–5 years):
  Preschoolers begin more imaginative play. You’ll see dress-up, building forts, or creating elaborate stories with toys. They also love simple board games, puzzles, and art projects. Parents and teachers can support by providing open-ended toys (blocks, dolls, play kitchens) and giving time for make-believe.

• Young School-Age Children (5–8 years):
  At this stage, play becomes more structured. Children enjoy group games, sports, and rule-based activities. They also develop more advanced pretend play and creative projects. Adults can encourage cooperative games, outdoor play, and family activities like board games or cooking together.

How Play Supports Education

Play isn’t “extra.” It’s the foundation for school success:

• Language skills grow when children create stories in pretend play.

• Math and science concepts emerge in building, sorting, and experimenting.

• Sensory skills are strengthened through water play, playing with different textures and using different movement patterns during play

• Social skills develop when children share, take turns, and solve conflicts in play.

• Critical thinking and creativity are sparked when play is open-ended and child-directed.

Research consistently shows that children who have more opportunities for play enter school more ready to learn, with stronger attention, problem-solving, and social-emotional regulation.

Risky Play

We are so fearful of children getting injured that we never allow risky play. Risky play, such as climbing a tree, hopping from rock to rock, or swinging really high on the swing set teach children resiliency and simple problem solving skills. They learn to use their bodies in ways that improve motor planning. They learn problem solving and judgement skills in real time. For example, “if I swing too high, I might lose control, so I need to tense my body to slow down”. Solving simple problems build agency and self efficacy, important emotional skills for growth and development. Children also learn autonomy from testing limits and figuring things out on their own.

The problem is, we are so fearful that children will get injured, that we intervene and stop risky play before it happens. We have removed equipment from playgrounds that lead to risky play and we discourage children from taking simple risks. We need to shift the paradigm from “dangerous play” to “risk taking play” and encourage children to jump in.

Final Thoughts

Play may look simple, but it is powerful. It’s how children build their bodies, minds, and relationships. As parents and educators, we can protect playtime, create opportunities for it, and join in ourselves. Because when we play with children, we are not only teaching them, we are building lifelong memories and strengthening bonds.

So let’s give children the gift of play every day.