Play in early childhood development

Beginning from child's first social smiles, and through the development of babbling, games, hopping, skipping, playing hide and seek, jumping and team sports throughout the months and years, play is one of the most powerful channels children have for mastering new skills, concepts, and experiences. Current literature evidence suggests a strong relationship between play and development in children. This paper outlines contributions of play to children's development, stages in play development, and developmental stages of play, benefits and barriers to play. Play naturally contributes to overall development in childhood.