Is this good play?

Name a toy or activity, answer five quick questions, and see what it already has, what's missing, and one small way to add it.

Short answer: Good play is not about the toy. Research from the LEGO Foundation (Zosh et al., 2017) describes five characteristics of learning through play: it is joyful, meaningful, actively engaging, iterative and socially interactive. In Chapter 5 of Big Bang Baby I use them as a filter: an activity that hits most of them is good play, whether it's an expensive toy or a cardboard box.

1. The activity

Type your own, or tap an example from the book to fill in typical answers you can change.

What are you playing, or thinking of trying?

Examples from Big Bang Baby:

Your answers stay on this page. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere. Not all five need to be there every minute: the research treats joy, meaning and active engagement as the core, so the check suggests those first.

In Chapter 5 of Big Bang Baby I tell how my wife and I planned an elaborate day at Disney for our twins when they were three. What stayed with me was the two of them outside Mickey's House, sorting pebbles they found on the ground. The quality of the interaction is what counts, and the easiest ingredient to add is usually you. The full why is in Chapter 5. Read the Introduction free, or start with What counts as play.

Sources

Big Bang Baby, Chapter 5, "The Invisible Forces," section II, "Play: The Stimulating Force" (serve-and-return, the five characteristics as a filter, bath play, errands as play, peek-a-boo, pretend roles, the tower challenge); peek-a-boo also appears in Chapters 1 and 4.
Zosh, J. M., Hopkins, E. J., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Neale, D., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Solis, S. L., & Whitebread, D. (2017). Learning through play: A review of the evidence [White paper]. The LEGO Foundation. PDF
Zosh, J. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Hopkins, E. J., et al. (2018). Accessing the inaccessible: Redefining play as a spectrum. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1124. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01124
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2007). The science of early childhood development. Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University (serve-and-return).