This research aims to reveal the perceptions of the preservice teachers on the play which are among the essential needs of the preschool children. In this descriptive study, a case study which is one of the qualitative research designs was used. 79 preservice teachers attending the third grade in the Classroom Teaching Department of state university in Nigde province in Turkey. Convenience sampling method was used in the selection of the study group. A semi-structured interview form was prepared in order to reveal the perceptions of preservice teachers about the play. Content analysis technique was used for data analysis. At the end of the research, it was determined that the preschool teacher candidates expressed the essential needs of preschool children as nutrition, education and love respectively. The play was ranked as the number four among these needs.