Let Them Play

Where play is the curriculum.

A play-based enrichment experience  ·  Toddlers through Pre-K  ·  Naperville, Illinois

Our Approach

"A great place for kids to have fun, build confidence, make friends — and learn how to succeed and how to recover from mistakes."

Because every day brings new chances to do it all. Let Them Play is a place where children are encouraged to explore their ideas, initiate play, build relationships, and work out solutions — with others and on their own. We're not here to tell children what they need. We're here to help them discover it for themselves. And to trust that what they think matters, while learning that what others think matters too.

Eight Beliefs

01
Play is our earliest form of learning. It feeds curiosity, teaches us to trust our instincts, push our boundaries, and get energized by the world around us.
02
Children learn best when given the freedom to discover — to initiate, to explore, and to find out what happens when they try something new.
03
Every session, children build an agenda together. They assign jobs, work toward shared goals, and learn — really learn — how to be in a group.
04
Winning isn't the only option. Some of the most important things we can give a child is how to accept disappointment, and how to shift when something isn't working.
05
This space allows children to be excited about who they are — without comparison. Every child is important here. Every question is welcome. Every voice is heard.
06
After group time, children choose — on their own, with a partner, or continuing in a group. Whatever works for them. That choice is part of the learning.
07
We encourage one another through triumph and through challenge. That balance — knowing how to laugh loudly and listen deeply — is what builds a whole person.
08
The world needs your child. Exactly as they are. We're here to make sure they know it.

Built from
the science up.

Let Them Play wasn't born from a business concept. It was born from 30 years of being with children — in classrooms, in therapy rooms, and at home — and a deep conviction that every family deserves access to something genuinely better.

Founder
Mary Plonis
Psychologist
20+ Years in Practice
Educator
10 Years as a School Teacher
Mother
Three Kind, Loving & Considerate Adults
Location
Naperville, Illinois — Opening 2026

What your child actually experiences.

Morning & Afternoon Sessions Available  ·  Toddlers through Pre-K

Arrival
Greet & Connect
Children arrive and greet each other. The session begins with connection — not instruction. Already, something important is happening.
Early In
Build the Agenda
The group discusses options for their time together and builds their own agenda. Children assign roles, set shared goals, and decide together how to work things out.
Mid-Session
Choice Time
Children choose — on their own, with a partner, or continuing in a group. Whatever works for them. Mary is present, interacting when needed or when a child asks.
Closing
Reflect & Reset
The session closes with a moment to look back — what worked, what didn't, what to try next time. Every day brings new chances to do it all again.
"Play is the highest form of research."
— Albert Einstein

And from our founder —

"Laugh loudly, listen to understand, speak to be understood — and know that the world needs you."
— Mary Plonis
Mary
Plonis
20+
Years as a Practicing PsychologistUnderstanding how children think, feel, and grow
10
Years as a School TeacherIn the classroom, before the science caught up with her instincts
3
Children of Her OwnKind, loving, and considerate adults — her original proof of concept

"I used to be a teacher. Now I'm a psychologist. Let Them Play gives me the chance to get back to the basics of it all."

Mary Plonis built Let Them Play from a simple conviction: that play is our earliest and most powerful form of learning. As a school teacher, she watched children come alive when given freedom and shut down when handed worksheets. As a practicing psychologist, she saw the long-term cost of childhoods built around performance and comparison. And as a mother of three, she had a front-row seat to what children become when they are trusted to be themselves.

In three years, she envisions a couple of locations — all holding the same belief. That play feeds curiosity. That it teaches children to trust their instincts, push their boundaries, be excited, be surprised, gain confidence. It's a basic place. A place where everyone is important, every question is confidently asked, and every child is listened to — without judgment. Because that, ultimately, is what contributes to a life well lived.

"This is not traditional preschool. It is not academic-based learning. And that's entirely the point."

If you're looking for worksheets, letter drills, or a structured academic program — there are wonderful options for that in Naperville. Let Them Play is for parents who believe that something else matters first. That a child who knows how to question confidently, listen generously, make a friend, and recover from a hard day is already ahead. The rest follows.

"Will my child have friends.
Will my child know how to be a friend.
Will my child be happy."

These are the real questions. Not test scores. Not reading levels. Let Them Play exists for the parent asking exactly these things — and for the child who deserves a place where the answer is yes, every single day.

Be First

Spots are intentionally limited for toddlers through Pre-K.
Join the waitlist and be among the first to know when we open our doors.

We will never share your information. Ever.

Thank you. We'll be in touch soon —
your child's best years are just ahead.