Preschool-age children are most engaged in pretend play 10–15 minutes after playing begins. In addition, girls exhibit higher organizational skills, according to a study conducted by researchers from ...

When we constantly steer playtime, we may actually be getting in the way of the very skills we’re trying to build.

The best children's museums in the country have interactive exhibits where kids want to linger, playing is encouraged, and learning is a byproduct of the fun.

In 2014, police killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice as he played with a toy gun at a Cleveland recreation center. Ma’Khia Bryant was 16 when she was killed by police, also in Ohio. In Orlando, six-year-old ...

Children learn more through ‘guided play’ than from teacher-led instruction, according to a new study by experts at Cambridge University. A play-focused approach to learning, where children are ...

The Hechinger Report covers one topic: education. Sign up for our newsletters to have stories delivered to your inbox. Consider becoming a member to support our nonprofit journalism. What happens when ...

Playtime isn’t just all fun and games. Kids learn important developmental and social skills through playing with others and by themselves. Associative play is one of the six stages of play — a ...

The Hechinger Report covers one topic: education. Sign up for our newsletters to have stories delivered to your inbox. Consider becoming a member to support our nonprofit journalism. In 1966, when ...

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series. Read part two here. Please note that this story includes mentions of suicide. Sometimes, Dennis Lim’s street is a little too quiet. Growing up in ...

Somewhere along the way to adulthood, time to play fades away. We tend to trade silliness and imagination for seriousness and busyness. Yet there is clear evidence that adults benefit from playfulness ...

Mattel, Inc. announced today that Barbie and a team of neuroscientists at Cardiff University had released the latest findings from a multi-year study exploring doll play's short and long-term ...