From their beginning years, the main way children learn is through play. Play, more than any other activity, supports the healthy development of young children. Through play, much of the child’s early learning takes place.

Playing has a major role in the child’s development not only in infancy but through all the growing years.

If you are lucky enough to be invited into a child’s world of pretend play, be sure to accept the invitation. In this world, your imagination is key. This is where boxes can become anything from cars to caves. Here the child is making symbolic connections and learning about problem solving. Anything is possible. His body is working, his brain is developing and he is learning.

Through play, the child learns concepts, how to group things, how to make sense of things and how to solve problems. Play involves making mistakes and changing things. Here the child sets a goal and makes plans on how to reach it.

Not only does he learn through play but he also develops his motor skills. Through play, he develops coordination of his muscles when he needs to walk, kick, eat or write. When he pushes the make-believe grocery cart or plays hopscotch, his muscles are responding. His fine motor skills are getting stronger as he strings different color Fruit Loops to make a necklace. His eye-hand coordination improves as he plays ball or kicks the ball.

His language skills improve when he plays as he talks, sings and works to master the rules and sounds while he plays. Even just the interaction of talking with a playmate as he plays encourages learning more language skills.

Other benefits

He improves his social and emotional skills when he plays. This is a great way to develop his imagination as well as to help him with social skills such as waiting, negotiating, taking turns, cooperating, sharing and expressing emotions. As he plays he gains self-confidence and a greater sense of competence.

The importance of play is so critical, we have to make sure our children have time to play. If you give a child a choice of watching a cartoon on television or an older child a choice of using the cellphone or the computer to play games, you will find free play slipping away.

It is probably more exciting to play a game or just relax and watch than to actively engage in play. But neither the TV nor the computer involve the skills we have talked about that he can learn from active play.

So make time for play. Bring out the dress-up clothes for him or her to pretend. Save your old hats or purses to be used in make believe. Let him play with friends or alone — both ways he is learning. Think about buying toys that encourage him to be creative rather than ones that can only be played with one way. Play with him but let him set the rules or tell you what is happening.

In other words, don’t take over; just play and enjoy it. Even you might learn something; that’s what play does to you.

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.