The impact of informal learning on young children in the course of their play activities is discussed. A major objective is to emphasize that informal learning can help lay the base for multiculturalism in elementary education. It enables children from different cultural backgrounds to relate to and understand each other through play activities which are comfortable to them. The author presents a brief overview of recent studies in informal and formal systems of learning, a listing of differences between informal learning and formal instruction, illustrations of how informal learning occurs, and a discussion of the four kinds of informal learning that occur during play. He concludes that children's formal and informal education can be improved if parents and educators understand more about the effects of different kinds of play and the conditions under which such effects occur. (Author/DB)