Play is essential for young children, including when it comes to their learning

Dramatic play can improve children’s emotion regulation, among other benefits. Ariel Skelley/Photodisc via Getty Images Prioritizing play offers a variety of benefits for children, from helping them grow their vocabulary to managing their big feelings with fewer behavioral problems. Play also benefits children’s cognitive and social and emotional development. But play isn’t always a focus in classrooms, even when it comes to very young children. My colleagues and I conducted a study in 2019…