ABSTRACT
How does play prepare children for literacy? How does it support their literacy development? These are leading edge questions that bring play squarely into early literacy education. Grounded in early literacy and sociocultural theories, research shows that play may indeed have a role in early literacy development. Several studies point to robust relationships between the play environment and literacy activity; between pretend play and oral language skills; and between creative drama and story comprehension (Roskos & Christie, 2004). Taken together this body of evidence has important curricular implications for early childhood literacy involving the design of print-rich play areas, planning for literacy-linked play, and teacher facilitation of play activity.
