Play is the key centre of a healthy child’s life. Play provides the opportunities to be free, creative and expressive. In play, children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their ability to communicate with peers and adults. Play is the business of the childhood, allowing your child free rein to experiment with the world around him and the emotional world inside him, says Linda Acredolo professor of Psychology at the University of California. In play children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of physical world and their ability to communicate with peers and adults. Play is crucial for your child social, emotional, physical, cognitive growth.1 A pre experimental, one group pre test & post test research design was used, which consisted of 60 samples that were selected by using non-probability, purposive sampling technique. Data was collected by using structured knowledge questionnaire and attitude scale regarding play needs of children. A PTP was administered to the samples at the end of the pre test and post test was conducted 7 days after pre test and from administration of PTP. The result showed that, out of 60 mothers of under five children, In pre test majority of the participants 33 (55%) had poor knowledge and 24 participants (40%) had average knowledge and only 3 (5%) of the participants had good knowledge, where as in post test 42 (70%) participants had average knowledge, 15 (25%) participants had good knowledge and 3 (5%) of the participant had poor knowledge. The calculated paired ‘t’ value (t cal = 18.56) is greater than tabulated value (t tab = 2.00). This indicated that the gain in knowledge score was statistically significant at p<0.05 level. Therefore the findings revealed that the PTP on play needs of children was effective in increasing the knowledge regarding play needs of children among mothers of under five children. In pre test majority of the participants 35 (58.33%) had moderately favorable and 25 participants (41.66%) had favorable attitude and None of the participants had unfavorable attitude, where as in post test 33 (55%) participants had average favorable attitude, 27 (45%) participants had moderately attitude and None of the participant had unfavorable attitude. The calculated paired ‘t’ value (tcal = 2.895) is greater than tabulated value (ttab = 2.00). This indicates that the gain in attitude score is statistically significant at p<0.05 level. Therefore the findings revealed that the PTP on play needs of children was effective in improving the attitude regarding play needs of children among mothers of under five. There is significant association between pre test attitude scores and selected sociodemographic variable like number of children [χ2 cal= 6.987, χ2 tab= 5.99]. The calculated Chi-square value was higher than tabulated value at 0.05 level of significance. This indicated that there was significant association between pre test attitude scores and selected socio-demographic variables at 0.05 level of significance children.
