To start with, playing has an important place in supporting early literacy by exposing children to situations in which they understand how well-developed oral language skills promote cooperation and self-expression in human society. Young learners intuitively realize that interpersonal communication provides the foundation for literacy and find first-hand experiences related to exploration easier to process and remember compared to second-hand information reported by adults. Play aligns with these characteristics since it enables children to gain language knowledge by performance and interaction with their immediate surroundings. Being a convenient and attractive way of self-expression and exploration, play encourages young children to master the art of mediation, which is impossible without literacy.
Even some primitive non-individual play activities require linguistic competencies peculiar to vocabulary use and collaboration. For instance, to engage in games, every child should distinguish between toys, colors, or shapes verbally and be aware of culturally and ethically appropriate ways to express mutual respect and structure the activity through oral communication. Therefore, play-based activities are a natural way to foster literacy, and well-equipped play areas are essential in early childhood environments.
Additionally, play can be used to meet diverse learners’ literacy development needs ina more profound manner and promote oral language skills by ensuring engagement and optimal neuro-cognitive stimulation. For example, in children with specific barriers to learning, such as attention control issues, movement-rich play activities enhance mental alertness and readiness for new information, thus creating appropriate conditions for the development of literacy and other skills. In a similar way, hypersensitive students need intensive sensory experiences for proper functioning and learning. Play activities involving two-way communication or practical instructions can support such students’ language comprehension while also making them more relaxed. Thus, play is potentially helpful in terms of literacy instruction across the ability spectrum.