50 Meaningful Child Play Quotes — with Free Printable Posters
What’s inside this article: 50 inspiring child play quotes from children’s psychologists, psychiatrists, authors and experts to remind us why playtime is so important for childhood development.
Play is the foundation of almost all learning in early childhood, shaping how children grow and develop. Decades of research show us that play is essential to a child’s development.
But, so often, adults overlook the importance of play. Young kids are expected to sit still at a desk all day, be quiet, and pay attention. I bet if given the choice, many teachers would be happy if kids could drop their heads off in the classroom for the day and then return to pick them up later.
We need to start making more time for both structured and unstructured play. It’s critical for the development of creativity, problem-solving, gross and fine motor skills, social and emotional skills, and life skills.
Play also aligns with key developmental milestones. If you’re curious about the different types of play and the milestones associated with each, you can explore those categories here.
To inspire you to make play a bigger part of everyday life, I’ve compiled a list of meaningful quotes about the importance of play.
These quotes serve as a reminder of how vital play is for children’s growth and happiness—and even for our own well-being as adults!
Plus, at the end of the article, you can download and print free posters featuring some of these quotes to display at home, in the classroom, or anywhere you want to encourage more play.
Meaningful Quotes About the Importance of Play
Play is the brain’s favorite way of learning. — Diane Ackerman
Children learn as they play; most importantly, in play, children learn how to learn. — Fred Donaldson
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning, but for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. — Fred Rogers
Play is an active form of learning that unites the mind, body, and spirit. —Unknown
When we deny children play, we are denying them the right to understand the world. — Erika Christakis
Play is your child’s most natural form of expression. — Unknown
All play is associated with intense thought activity and rapid intellectual growth.— N. V. Scarfe
Nothing lights up a child’s brain like play. — Dr. Stuart Brown, M.D.
Play turns out to be stunningly essential in childhood—it’s like love, sunshine, and broccoli all juiced together. — Lenore Skenazy
Quotes About Play and Creativity
Play is the highest form of research. — Albert Einstein
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct. — Carl Jung
A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men. — Roald Dahl
Whenever children say,” Let’s play pretend,” a new landscape of possibilities for learning is revealed. When children pretend, they try on new feelings, roles, and ideas, and they stretch their minds along with their imaginations. — Unknown
You can’t use up creativity; the more you use, the more you have. — Maya Angelou
Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child. —Unknown
Whoever wants to understand much must play much. — Gottfried Benn
Play is the beginning of knowledge. — George Dorsey
When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand; a sock can be a puppet; a small child can be a superhero. — Fred Rogers
Inspirational Quotes About Playing With Kids
Children don’t need more things. The best toys a child can have is a parent who gets down on the floor and plays with them. — Anonymous
Time spent playing with children is never time wasted. — Don Lantero
You can learn more about a child in one hour of play than you can in one year of conversation. — Plato
The playing adult steps sideward into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery. — Erik H. Erikson
Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play. — Heraclitus
Anything that engages your creative mind, the ability to make connections between unrelated things, and imagine new ways to communicate is good for you. — Girija Kaimal
Quotes About Why Play is Important for Child Development
If animals play, this is because play is useful in the struggle for survival; because play practices and so perfects the skills needed in adult life. —Susanna Miller
Give childhood back to children: if we want our offspring to have happy, productive, and moral lives, we must allow more time for play, not less. —Peter Gray
For a small child, there is no division between playing and learning, between the things he or she does just for fun and the things that are educational. The child learns while living, and any part of living that is enjoyable is also play. — Penelope Leach
Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, share, negotiate, resolve conflicts, and learn self-advocacy skills. —Winnie Wathu
Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity. — Kay Redfield Jamison
Play is the royal road to childhood happiness and adult brilliance. —Joseph Chilton Pearce
It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play. — Leo Buscaglia
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father. — Rodger Von Oech
Play Quotes About Building Skills and Resilience
Play is not just about having fun but about taking risks, experimenting, and testing boundaries. — Unknown
Risky play is really important for kids because it teaches hazard assessment, delayed gratification, resilience, and confidence. When kids get outside and practice bravery, they learn valuable life lessons. —Caroline Paul
Play is foundational for bonding relationships and fostering tolerance. It’s where we learn to trust and where we learn about the rules of gameplay; it increases creativity and resilience, and it’s all about the generation of diversity of interactions, diversity of behaviors, diversity of connections. — Isabel Behncke
Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs. — James Hines Jr.
Play is training for the unexpected. — Mark Beckoff
Deep meaning lies often in childish play. — Johann Friedrich von Schiller
Play gives children an outlet to express their emotions and feelings and helps them to develop a sense of who they are. — Unknown
Toys are the tools of childhood, and the simple act of playing allows kids to develop a lifelong love of learning. — Mark Carson
For a child, it is in the simplicity of play that the complexity of life is sorted, like puzzle pieces joined together to make sense of the world. — L.R. Knost
Let them play! The more they play, the more resilient and socially adept they will become. — Jessica Joelle Alexander
Quotes with Wisdom and Reflection on Play
Play is not a break from learning. It is endless, delightful, deep, engaging, practical learning. It’s the doorway into the child’s heart! —Vince Gowmon
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. — George Bernard Shaw
People tend to forget that play is serious. — David Hockney
Life is more fun if you play games. — Roald Dahl
It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives. — Fred Rogers
Think of playtime like an innovation lab where tomorrow’s civilization is being actively designed. — Jordan Shapiro
Play matters because people matter. It reminds us of our interdependence and gives us a chance to really see other people and, in turn, to be really and truly seen. — Jill Violet
Childhood is about playing, discovering, and believing in dreams; the imagination and possibilities are endless. — Unknown
Play isn’t just a way for kids to pass the time—it’s a fundamental part of learning, growth, and connection. These child play quotes serve as a reminder of how essential play is for creativity, problem-solving, emotional development, and even lifelong happiness. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, making time for play can have a lasting impact on a child’s well-being.
To keep these reminders close, don’t forget to download the free printable posters here. Display them in your home or classroom to encourage more play, laughter, and learning every day!
