May 2026
There are three children in an early childhood classroom. A child kneels on the floor, she is holding and turning a wooden block over in her hand. She places it carefully on top of another, pauses, then adjusts it when it tilts. Across the room, two other children negotiate who will be the “shopkeeper” and who will be the “customer.” They revise the rules as they go. Note that in both scenarios there are no teachers directing the engagements, but learning is still taking place. For instance, in the first scenario, ideas are attempted and revised as needed, and the child comes to understand what the material will and will not allow. In the second scenario, the children collaborate and likely clash, claims are made and resisted, impulses meet the presence of another, and the play begins to depend on what they can agree on, how they take turns, and how they respond when something goes wrong.
The recognition that children need to play has been formally acknowledged for decades at the international level. In 1989 The Convention on the Rights of the Child was a landmark recognition of children as persons with their own rights, and not merely extensions of their family. It established that childhood is a protected time for development and that children have a right to be allowed to grow with dignity. It was composed of 54 articles that cover civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, including the right to education, health, protection from violence, and to maintain relationships with parents. It obliges governments signing onto the treaty to incorporate these rights into national legislation.
Importantly, Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms that play is an essential part of childhood. Article 31 states:
1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.
2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.
Article 31 recognizes that children need access to play, leisure, and creative participation as part of healthy development. This affirms that play belongs within the conditions necessary for children to grow well. While most people would agree, it becomes more challenging to defend the rights of children to play when competing priorities arise in educational contexts. When learning goals must be met often play is sacrificed. Recognizing children’s right to play places responsibility on the adults and institutions that form children’s environments. Families, schools, communities, and policies all help determine whether children have the time and freedom to engage in meaningful play.
At Gesell, we understand that play is one of the clearest ways development becomes visible. As children imagine, negotiate, build, improvise, and explore, they show us evolving capacities in language, self-regulation, problem-solving, and social understanding. These experiences strengthen the developmental foundations that support learning.
In schools, this means creating learning environments that respect developmental readiness. Play supports conditions such as curiosity, exploration, and active engagement that help children build confidence and strengthen the skills needed for future learning. Children lose important developmental experiences when these opportunities are reduced by academic pressure or over-structured instruction. In homes, recognizing children’s right to play means making room for unstructured play and creativity. In communities, it means ensuring children have safe and equitable access to spaces for recreation and social interaction.
Educational policy is beginning to reflect what child development research and classroom experience have long shown, that children learn best in environments that support active exploration. For example, in 2023, Connecticut passed legislation requiring public preschool and kindergarten classrooms to provide play-based learning opportunities and allowing teachers in grades one through five to incorporate play-based learning practices.
Connecticut’s legislation indicates a growing recognition that developmentally appropriate practice includes protecting opportunities for play and affirms the principle at the heart of Article 31. Because conversations about play-based learning are gaining traction, families and educators are actively seeking ways to better understand how play supports development. The documentary Based in Play explores the implementation of play-based learning in a sample of Connecticut classrooms. Also, to better understand play-based learning Gesell’s Guide to Play at School provides research-informed guidance for educators seeking developmentally appropriate ways to incorporate play into their curriculum. Protecting the right to play protects the developmental experiences children need to grow, learn, and thrive.