Play and playful learning promote all aspects of early childhood psychological development and, in so doing, provide the springboard for successful academic and social adjustment to school. Early childhood programs that squeeze out spontaneous and guided play in favor of formalized academic training dampen children's enthusiasm and motivation to learn and fail to equip children with the full range of capacities they need to thrive at school. Furthermore, lifelong learners are not created through overly didactic curricula where children are passive recipients. Returning play to its evidence-based, rightful place in preschool education is a first step toward restoring developmentally appropriate play experiences to children's home lives, as parents look to educators for advice and models of development-enhancing learning activities. This chapter offers policies and practice recommendations directed to all those who are concerned with the well-being of children and who are charged with preparing our children to become competent, contributing, and contented members of the global world by focusing on their social development and its role in academic achievement.