If you are around children, it may seem that all they do is play. Some would even say that is why they go to school: if they didn’t go to school, they would keep playing. Maybe we see it this way because we are jealous and wish we had more free time to play.

But for a child, play is a lot more than we may think. It is learning. It’s not a way to pass time or to just take up the hours in a child’s life. To a child, play is learning.

If you think about it, the child has a lot to learn to understand how the world works. She doesn’t know up from down or small from big. She doesn’t know what happens when you throw something or if you drop something. She doesn’t even know much about her parents or her siblings. All of this she has to figure out — to learn.

Slowly and with lots of trial and error, she learns she can turn over, sit up, stack blocks, put on her clothes, ride a tricycle, be a friend or even talk. She has a lot to learn and she only has five years to learn these things. We also now know that she learns more in these first years than at any other time in her life.

She learns these things by exploring, discovering, repeating and imitating. She doesn’t just learn by words even though she may use them. She learns most things by doing. She learns by trying, being present and feeling. She learns about herself and about friends and about you. She learns about colors, emotions, sounds, language, texture and about herself.

She also is learning about you. She learns to respond to you. If you smile, she will smile. If you clap, she will learn to clap. She is learning if you will respond and be happy with her. A wonderful clip on the Internet is on YouTube under “Still Face” which shows the impact of a mother on her child. This is a great reminder of the impact we have on our children.

She engages in many kinds of play. Sometimes it is quiet play with colors, a doll or a book. At other times it may be more creative like painting, dancing, playing with others or something that uses her imagination. Active play usually uses balls, swings, cars, water and blocks.

Another kind of play is cooperative play where someone else is involved. Dramatic play is when children try different roles such as teacher, firefighter, dancer, doctor or soldier; it is certainly a form of social play, too.

And the last kind of play that groups such as Kaleidoscope Play and Learn and Pennsylvania State University Better Kid Care Project teach about is manipulative play, which uses hands, muscles and eyes, with puzzles, crayons, cutting and using tools. All of these kinds of play are ways she is learning.

So when you go to the store for holiday shopping to find suitable toys for your little one, be sure to find the right ones to help with this important learning activity called play. First, make sure toys are safe and that they will last. Think about your child’s ability level before you buy. Is it the kind of toy that involves the child or is it something he just winds up? Is the cost reasonable?

So how can you help? With a really young baby (0-18 months), be available. Respond to his sounds, smile at him, talk with him, make faces in a mirror and sing to him. With your slightly older child (18 months to 3 years), you can tell stories, play follow-the-leader, act out stories, praise your child’s efforts and take him to the library.

For your older preschool age child (3-5 years), you can read to him, play matching games, play counting and number games, practice motor skills, do gymnastics and encourage him to create stories.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents. Reach Martin at pmf@olypen.com or at 681-2250.