Preparing children for school is a challenging, but necessary task for parents. All parents want their children to do well in school, but starting school is a huge milestone in a child's development, and not every parent knows how to help their children be successful in throughout school. Tackling this concept of preparing a child for school may seem intimidating but it is very important. The concept of school readiness typically refers to the child's attainment of a certain set of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive skills needed to learn, work, and function successfully in school. Unfortunately, this common philosophy of being ready for school places an undue burden on children by expecting them to meet the expectations of school. A more constructive way to consider school readiness is to remove the expectations from the child and place those expectations onto the schools and the families. Young children have wide ranging needs and require support in preparing them for the high standards of learning they will face in elementary school. There are different ways that parents and early education instructors use to help the child become school ready and play is key component in this area. The quantity and quality of play all effects the ending result of becoming ready for school. .
In general, play can be defined as unstructured peer interaction but it can also be defined on a functional or structural level. Play is the fundamental means by which children gather and process information, learn new skills, and practice old ones. Play becomes purposeful when a child's potential for learning is enhanced whilst people and the addition of objects can heighten these attributes. For example, children engage in collaborative interactions as they negotiate resources, share ideas, and have conversations. Purposeful play enables children to develop social–emotional skills that are explained in some state standards as problem solving and cooperation.
