The author suggests that educators of preservice teachers begin to employ insights gained from the Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future. In order to show relationships between early childhood play and Gardner’s theory, the author crafted the framework. This framework takes into account both artistic and scientific aspects of the mind. The article describes each mind as interpreted from Gardner, and explores the implications for the instruction of preservice teachers. The author concludes that recognizing the importance of play, as captured within Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future, allows us to acknowledge that play is a meaningful and necessary feature in the contexts of school, and ultimately in the lives of the nation’s school children.