Just Playing is Just Great (Disc 1 of Development Series) "Articulating Play's Importance" This presentation focuses on helping adults understand how play is appropriate and essential to early childhood development, i.e. that the children are never "just playing"; they are in fact always developing and learning. Developmental theory is made real, understandable, and applicable to your interactions with your children. Implications for activities and appropriate learning materials, and for setting the learning environment are addressed. Also, seven interest area focuses for early childhood development are reviewed.