Why Play Is So Important for Brain Development
by Reagan Mayberry, OTD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist / Owner of Pine Belt Therapy Services
There’s a reason children are drawn to pillow forts, elaborate pretend games, and endless rounds of “Watch me!” Play isn’t just spare-time fun; it’s a biological requirement for healthy brain growth. When kids climb, imagine, build, and giggle, they’re wiring neural circuits faster than any worksheet or flash-card drill ever could.
Below, we’ll explore how play fuels brain development, the specific skills it strengthens, and simple ways you can weave more playful moments into everyday life.
1. Play Builds the Brain’s “Superhighways”
During early childhood, the brain is busy forging trillions of synapses. Unstructured, child-led play lights up multiple regions at once:
Play activates multiple areas of the brain, each contributing to essential developmental skills. The prefrontal cortex is engaged when children negotiate rules, take turns, and solve problems together—laying the foundation for planning, impulse control, and other executive functions. Meanwhile, the hippocampus lights up during pretend play and storytelling, supporting memory consolidation and flexible thinking. Physical activities like climbing, balancing, or rough-and-tumble play stimulate the cerebellum, which strengthens coordination, motor planning, and a sense of rhythm. Finally, the limbic system—the brain’s emotional center—is activated through joy, laughter, and safe risk-taking, helping children build emotional regulation and resilience to stress. In this way, play isn’t just fun—it’s essential to whole-brain development.
Think of play as the brain’s cross-training workout: it synchronizes cognitive, motor, social, and emotional “muscle groups” all at once.
2. Pretend Play Grows Executive Function & Self-Regulation
When a toddler turns a couch into a pirate ship, they’re practicing:
Working memory – holding the storyline in mind
Cognitive flexibility – switching roles (“Now you be the captain!”)
Inhibitory control – staying in character or waiting a turn
Long-term studies show that children who engage in rich pretend play score higher on tests of self-regulation and later academic success than peers with less imaginative time.¹
3. Rough-and-Tumble & Sensory Play Shape Motor & Sensory Systems
Spinning on a swing or rolling down a hill isn’t “just burning energy.” Activities that jolt the vestibular and proprioceptive systems help the brain map where the body is in space — critical for handwriting, sports, and even sitting still in class.
OT tip: Heavy-work play (like climbing, crawling, digging, or lifting) provides deep pressure input that can calm an over-busy nervous system and boost attention afterward.
So what's “heavy work”? It doesn’t mean lifting weights at the gym (although as adults, we might seek that out for the same reason—to feel calm and regulated!). For kids, heavy work is built into play in creative, less intense ways. The “resistance” might come from:
Their own body weight – climbing, crab walks, animal crawls
Objects – carrying books, pushing a full laundry basket, pulling a wagon
Materials – digging in sand, squishing putty, kneading dough
Here are a few kid-friendly heavy work ideas:
🧗 Climbing at the playground
🐻 Animal walks (bear, crab, frog)
🧺 Carrying or pushing weighted objects (like a laundry basket or backpack)
🌿 Digging in the dirt or sandbox
🎨 Squishing, squeezing, or pulling resistive materials (putty, playdough)
4. Social Play Teaches Communication & Empathy
Building block towers together (and coping when they topple!) trains:
Language skills – negotiating, narrating, explaining
Perspective-taking – realizing a friend’s idea might differ from their own
Emotional resilience – bouncing back from minor frustrations
Children who regularly engage in collaborative play show stronger peer relationships and fewer behavior challenges in school settings.²
5. Play Buffers Stress & Builds Resilience
Laughter releases endorphins and lowers cortisol, turning play into a natural anti-stress prescription. In animal studies, young mammals deprived of play show increased anxiety and impaired social skills; kids aren’t much different.³
After a joyful play burst, children return to learning tasks with refreshed focus and greater frustration tolerance.
Practical Ways to Add More Play (Without Extra Toys)
Household adventures
Turn laundry baskets into racecars, or build a couch-cushion obstacle course.Pretend prop box
Old scarves, dad’s hats, flashlights, and kitchen utensils can spark endless imagination.Nature “loose parts”
Sticks + rocks + mud = a STEM lab in your own backyard.Playful chores
Race to sort socks, stack groceries by size, or bunny hop to the mailbox.Five-minute brain breaks
Mini dance parties, wiggle timers, or animal yoga between homework chunks.
Final Thoughts
As an OT, I love data and developmental milestones — but I’ve never met a worksheet that lights up a child’s whole brain the way spontaneous play does. When you protect time for free, joyful exploration, you’re doing far more than keeping your child entertained; you’re wiring their brain for lifelong learning, empathy, and resilience.
Need ideas tailored to your child’s unique sensory or motor profile? I’m here to help. Explore more resources or contact me at pinebelttherapyservices.com.
References
Yogman, M. et al. (2018). The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics, 142(3).
Lillard, A. et al. (2013). The impact of pretend play on children’s development: A review of the evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 1–34.
Pellis, S. & Pellis, V. (2013). The playful brain: Venturing to the limits of neuroscience. Oneworld Publications.
