Making Play Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder Lessons from Tools of the Mind • Elena Bodrova and Deborah J. Leong Although most early-childhood educators agree on the value of play in child development, they fnd it increasingly harder to advocate for play given today’s pressure for academic achievement. Using the theoretical work of Lev Vygotsky, the authors discuss how make-believe play among children helps them develop skills critical for success in school and beyond. Tey discuss the strategies of the Tools of the Mind curriculum that scafold mature make-believe play, and they demonstrate how Sesame Street and Esme and Roy, shows from Sesame Workshop, help parents and teachers use these strategies with children. Key words: early-childhood education; emotion control; make-believe play; self-regulation; sociodramatic play; symbolic thought; Vygotsky’s theory Tools of the Mind is an early-childhood curriculum that focuses on promoting self-regulation and executive functions in young children by supporting their mature intentional make-believe play and playful learning (Bodrova and Leong 2018). We describe some of the Tools of the Mind strategies for supporting play associated with the goals stated in the curriculum developed for television’s Sesame Street. To make children “smarter, stronger, and kinder,” as appears in Sesame Workshop’s mission statement, we also want their play to become smarter, stronger, and kinder. Having spent many years advocating for make-believe play in early- childhood classrooms, we have much evidence to support the value of play in children’s learning. Yet, we have noticed that it has grown harder and harder to persuade school administrators and even some classroom teachers that learning through play is the right kind of learning—and ofen the best kind of learning— for young children. Although this position can be partially explained by the increasing pressure for academic achievement, another reason may lie in the misunderstanding of the relationship between play and learning. 37 American Journal of Play, volume 12, number 1 © Te Strong Contact Elena Bodrova at ebodrova@toolsofhemind.org