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The Connection Between Play and Language Development

by Katie Ellsworth, Speech-Language Pathologist, MA, CCC-SLP
October 9, 2024

It’s often said that “Play is really the work of childhood” (Mr. Fred Rogers) or as a release of excess energy. While these statements have truth, play serves purposes even more integral to development (Westby, C., 1988). A child’s play and language skills are reliant on one another. Children grow in their cognitive, social, and language skills through their play, and the skills learned are essential for future success in communication, relationships, and academics. The skills a child gains in symbolic play are directly linked to how they develop certain language skills.

“Play is really the work of childhood”

–  Mr. Fred Rogers

Language is a series of symbols (i.e., spoken words stand for objects, actions, etc.); therefore, before being able to use language, a child must have mental imagery (picturing ideas in their minds) and must represent reality with symbols in play. Play needs to advance to a certain level in order for related language skills to develop (Humphrey, E.).

In pretend play, children learn the following communication skills:

  •  Classifying, comparing, and reasoning
  • Organizing their ideas and plans, leading to better understanding of cause-effect relationships (e.g., pretending not just that the fire truck needs to go to the building, but a firefighter needs to put out the fire, save the people, call an ambulance, etc.).
  • Understanding the relationships between their bodies and the objects they play with, and their bodies compared to the location of play partners, across space and time. As a result, spatial concepts emerge, such as “above, below, under, behind.” Temporal concepts (language words that refer to time) appear, such as “when, first, next, after.”
  • Practicing flexible thinking with symbolism: Children pretend an object is something else, and its purpose can change; the cushion that was a “mountain” might become a “boat” the next moment.
  • Acquiring problem-solving skills.

"Out of context" thinking is a powerful predictor of writing achievement in school…

  • Developing “out of context” thinking: What is happening in other places, in the past, in the future, in an imaginary world? This skill is a powerful predictor of writing achievement in school, since children must have strong visual imagery outside of the here-and-now to create and write out their ideas.
  • Imagining being another character and thinking through the lens of another’s perspective. How would that character think, act, and feel? The character's motives, feelings, and intentions are different from those of the child, and playing out those different perspectives are critical skills for building relationships and empathy in the real world.
  • Playing out their feelings around certain experiences (e.g., a doctor’s visit), which can reduce the anxiety around it. (Westby, C., 1988).
Certain language skills form at the same time as play skills, and it’s not a coincidence. Some examples of language skills developing alongside play skills are:
19-22 months
Pretend Play Skills
  • The child combines two very familiar, related actions in pretend play. e.g. Rocking a stuffed animal and then putting it to bed.
Language Skills
  • Two-word combinations emerge. e.g., “Baby sleep”, “Hi Mama!”, or “More cracker?”.
3 years
Pretend Play Skills
  • Playing out sequences child has already experienced (e.g., doctor appointment, grocery store). Child modifies the outcome.
Language Skills
  • Child begins to use the past tense (e.g., “I ate” or “I ran fast!”). Child begins using future tense to predict: “I’m gonna go outside.”
3 to 3 1/2 years
Pretend Play Skills
  • Pretend play with replica toys/toy figures (Fisher price house or barn)
Language Skills
  • Child gives desires, thoughts, feelings to toys.
  • Descriptive vocabulary expands as child uses terms for shapes, sizes, colors, textures, and locations.

Pretend play opportunities are all around a child, and children can play with parents, siblings, friends, grandparents, cousins, neighbors! The more symbolic play is incorporated into a child’s everyday routine, the stronger these skills can become!

If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language skills please contact The Center to schedule an evaluation.

References

Westby, C. (1988). Children’s play: Reflections of social competence. Seminars in Speech and Language 9(01): 1-14.

Humphrey, E. Not just child’s play: The relationship between play and language. Central Institute for the Deaf.

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