According to his theory there are three categories of play, those being, practice play, symbolic play, and dramatic play. For preschoolers symbolic play is very important because this is where imaginations are developed. This stage will grow right into the dramatic play stage. The difference between the two stages is the amount of time playing and gestures are used to represent objects. I think Piaget's theory works well to explain the types of play.
Children also learn by modeling.
There are so many things you can do as a teacher to improve the learning environment in a classroom. For my ideal classroom I would start off with a big open room with many windows. I would have a big carpet area for group times, and a loft in one corner of the room, so the children could have a quiet area. Then I would use centers to break the room up. A house area in one corner that has a child size toy kitchen with dishes and pretend food would be available.