In many of the preschool and elementary classrooms of today, play is no longer the center of the curriculum. Meeting standards consumes the time of many teachers. Some educators view play as something that requires no skill, carries little or no value, and has no integral part in a young child's classroom experience. Many believe that including more play will lessen the accountability of the teacher. However, advocates and scholars in the field of education disagree, stating that "high-level play is widely recognized as an instructional strategy that builds language, vocabulary, and underlying cognitive skills necessary for children to become successful readers and writers." In this article, the author describes several ideas for classroom teachers who wish to create literacy-based play centers. (Contains 7 resources and 4 online resources.)