Preschool age is a sensitive period for the development of executive functions. Our training

experiment included a 7-week intervention in which children participated in play sessions for 20-

30 minutes twice a week. Before and after the intervention, the development of three

components of executive functions (working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) was

assessed. The study involved 199 children (96 girls and 103 boys) aged 52 to 69 months (M =

60.79, SD = 4.10). The children were divided into 6 groups: 5 experimental and control. The

compared groups did not differ in gender, age, and the initial level of executive functions. Three

of experimental groups were different versions of pretend play. In the fourth experimental group,

children played digital games on tablets. The fifth group played board games. The children in the

control group drew on the theme of the story read by the adult. The results confirmed the

influence of play on the development of executive functions. At the same time, pretend play

affected some components of regulatory functions (physical and cognitive inhibition), and digital

training and board games affected others (visual-spatial working memory).

Developmental potenеtial of play in preschool age: pretend play, digital and board games