The purpose of this paper is to theoretically present relevant knowledge about children 's play and its influences on the development of nursery children in an institutional context. Play, as an innate need of a child, reflects the stage of the child's development, his needs or possible internal conflicts. Play is a way of learning and mastering life skills for children of nursery age. Given that these are children who have just left the safety of the family home and primary caregivers, a quality response to their developmental needs requires competent knowledge of the characteristics of children's play and development. The incidence of children’s play can be divided into several widely accepted phases. Each of them also requires appropriate environmental incentives, especially the organization of an interactive environment. In other words, the quality of the spatial-material and social environment in the institutional context is closely related to the welfare of children's play for children's development. Knowledge of the child's development by age enables the skilful inclusion of stimulating toys appropriate to the child's age. The educator, as a replacement for the parent and emotional support, is undoubtedly one of the most important factors for the play of children of nursery age.