What really matters in play?

ABSTRACT This article seeks to reframe how early childhood educators think about their role in play by answering these questions: What really matters in play? How should we spend our time and energy planning, implementing, and building our expertise around play in early childhood teaching and learning? The answers reside in 5 big ideas from play research studies, meta-analyses, and meta-syntheses. We unpack these research findings and show the implications for practice. Across all 5 big ideas, the common factor is developing language. The quality of our interactions and conversational rounds and the intentionality of our language are pivotal, controllable factors that impact children’s learning and development. Therefore, we must enter children’s play with intentionality to talk with children and to create equitable and inclusive spaces for all children.