Full text can be accessed at http://www.ajol.info/index.php/huria/article/view/86065As early as infancy, children immerse themselves in playful activities withthe purpose of making sense of the world around them. However, their effort toachieve this is most frequently halted by parents, care givers and teachers whowork around with them. There have been questions surrounding the importance ofplay for children in Tanzania. The major question has been what children learnwhen they play. Lack of knowledge on the importance of play for children has ledparents, care givers and pre-school teachers deny children their rights to play,instead they have placed more emphasis on reading and arithmetic. This paper isbased on literature review, and presents the developmental stages of childhood anddiscusses the importance of play for cognitive, social, emotional and physicaldevelopment of children. The paper suggests that parents, community and preschools,and society as a whole should create conducive and safe environment forchildren to play, so as to help children to develop their capabilities to their fullpotentials.