Background: Play is vital for every child as it is considered as the way of expression. The play helps child to develop their social,
cognitive, and physical skills and strengthen the emotional bond that’s growing between the parents. Parents are children’s best
playmates especially mothers are often their first play partners. Studies have suggested knowledge of mother regarding play needs,
selection of toys, and facilitation of environment can affect the developmental outcomes of children. The study was conducted to
determine the knowledge of mothers regarding play needs of the under five children. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of mothers
regarding play needs of under-five year children. To find the association of knowledge scores of mothers with selected demographic
variables. Methods and Materials: A quantitative research approach with descriptive design was adopted for the study. The study
was conducted in the rural areas of Ropar district of Punjab. The study was conducted on 100 mothers of under five children who
were selected using convenience sampling technique. The structured interview schedule was used to assess the knowledge of mothers
regarding play needs of under-five children. Result: The study revealed that 65% subjects had moderate knowledge related to play
needs of under-five children, whereas 32 % subjects had poor knowledge and only 3% subjects had good knowledge. The study
found that the knowledge scores of the mothers are significantly associated with the education status of the mothers. Conclusion:
Mothers knowledge regarding play needs is inadequate. There is a strong need creating awareness and providing knowledge related
to play needs under-five children.
Keywords: Play Needs; Knowledge; Mothers; Under-Five Children.