Why Play Matters: Neuroscience Insights for Educators
Written by Dr. Ari Pinar, Education Specialist, Epoch Consultancy / Kiddi®
Children today spend significantly less time engaged in unstructured, playful activities than previous generations. Research indicates that they now experience only half as much outdoor free playtime as children did in the 1970s (Mullan, 2019). As academic pressures rise, schools often prioritise structured, content-heavy tasks over open-ended play. However, neuroscience research suggests this trend may be limiting important aspects of children’s development.
The Neuroscience of Play
Research consistently shows that playful activities stimulate the brain’s prefrontal cortex, a region essential for executive functions such as planning, impulse control, working memory, and critical thinking (Diamond & Ling, 2016). Young children and adolescents who regularly engage in unstructured play also exhibit stronger executive functioning, improved self-regulation, and greater adaptability to tasks and new environments (Barker et al., 2014).
Sharpening the Mind: Play and Executive Function
When children engage in play, whether solving a puzzle together or navigating complex strategies in a team sport, they encounter constant, unexpected challenges. They must think on their feet, negotiate rules, and coordinate thoughts with actions in real time. These experiences strengthen the neural pathways involved in flexible thinking, self-regulation, and adaptive problem-solving.
Research confirms this connection. A key study found that the more time children spent in unstructured, child-led activities, the stronger their self-directed executive function skills became. In contrast, greater time spent in highly structured, adult-led activities was associated with slightly weaker performance in this area (Barker et al., 2014). This suggests that unstructured play gives adolescents valuable opportunities to set their own goals, make decisions, and manage their behaviour independently. Activities such as project-based learning, classroom role-plays, or strategy games may appear less 'academic' than traditional worksheets, but they significantly enhance the brain’s capacity for learning itself.
Building Connections: Social Play and Emotional Intelligence
Adolescence is a time when peer relationships take centre stage, and play offers a rich, low-risk space for children to build social and emotional intelligence. Whether collaborating on a creative project or enjoying an interactive board game with friends, social play challenges young people to read social cues, cooperate, and consider others’ perspectives. These interactions activate the brain’s 'social network', regions responsible for understanding others’ thoughts, emotions, and intentions. Research shows that regular engagement in social and imaginative play strengthens theory of mind (the ability to infer others’ mental states) and fosters greater empathy.
Play is also a powerful tool for emotional regulation. It provides children the opportunity to experience and navigate a range of emotions, excitement, frustration, joy, within a safe and supportive context. On a neurochemical level, positive social play triggers the release of dopamine and oxytocin, which enhance bonding, motivation, and wellbeing, while reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In this way, social play acts as a natural buffer against stress, building emotional resilience that benefits students both in and beyond the classroom.
Fostering Creativity Through Whole-Brain Learning
Play is often called "whole-brain" learning because it engages multiple neural systems at once. Think of children building a model bridge or choreographing a dance; they are using their motor skills, visual-spatial reasoning, and executive functions simultaneously. Neuroscience shows that when learning involves multiple senses, like seeing, touching, and moving, the brain forms richer, stronger connections than when learning from a single input, like passively watching educational content. Furthermore, active and physical play offers clear benefits for physical health, improving cardiovascular fitness and helping to establish lifelong healthy habits.
Play is particularly effective at boosting two crucial skills:
1. Spatial Reasoning: The ability to mentally visualise and manipulate objects is critical for success in STEM fields. Activities like playing with construction toys, drawing maps, or even playing certain video games have been proven to strengthen these skills. Research shows that even short periods of spatial play lead to measurable improvements in tasks like mental rotation and spatial visualisation (Uttal et al., 2013).
2. Creative Thinking: Creative play is inherently open-ended and encourages divergent thinking, the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. It fosters cognitive flexibility and intrinsic motivation. By framing learning as a game or a creative challenge, we activate the brain's reward system, making children more likely to persist through difficulties and engage deeply with the material.
Putting Play to Work in the Classroom
For educators, this means rethinking how we structure the school day and deliver instruction. This means challenging how we structure the school day and deliver instruction.
Protect and Prioritise Play
Recess, brain breaks, and moments of unstructured play are essential for resetting attention, improving behaviour, and supporting emotional wellbeing. Even 10–15 minutes of movement or free play can boost focus and learning outcomes in subsequent lessons.
Embed Playful Pedagogy Across the Curriculum
Teachers can integrate role-plays, inquiry-based challenges, or creative tasks into subjects like history, science, and literacy. These methods not only deepen understanding but also cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, and curiosity.
Harness the Power of Technology to Support Play
Interactive technology solutions like the Kiddi® Interactive Smart Table are designed to promote multisensory, collaborative learning through games and hands-on challenges, enhancing teamwork, executive functioning, and engagement in dynamic and inclusive ways.
Foster Student Agency Through Flexible, Social Learning
Encourage student-led activities and group projects that build communication, empathy, and initiative. Whether through storytelling, team-based games, or open-ended tasks, these experiences nurture vital life skills while strengthening the brain’s capacity for self-regulation and adaptability.
By embedding play into our educational frameworks, we nurture not only stronger learners, but also more creative, resilient, and socially capable individuals prepared for the challenges of the future. Play-based learning offers educators a powerful, evidence-informed approach to support holistic development, fostering academic achievement, emotional wellbeing, and physical health.
If you’re looking to bring these research insights to life, the Kiddi® Interactive Smart Table offers a unique blend of play and learning. Pre-loaded with thousands of activities, it strengthens core skills through sensory-rich, exploratory play.
