The major components of playfulness in kindergarten children are physical, social, and cognitive spontaneity, manifest joy, and sense of humor. Children who are highly playful also show high scores in divergent and creative thinking. Piaget postulated that after the age of 7 or 8 this quality is replaced by assimilating the objective facts of the observed world. It is contended that playfulness becomes a personality trait in later developmental stages and may be observed in the adolescent level and beyond. Playfulness, the basis for creative thought, is evident when an individual is dealing with the familiar and the known and feels a sense of control and competence. Teachers should provide experiences for learning which will draw upon what the student knows. Encouraging the element of "fun in learning" by using the students' awareness of their personal "knowledge pool" opens the way to creative and divergent thinking. (JD)