Final answer:
Play-based assessment is most suitable for preschoolers due to their developmental stage and learning style. At this age, children learn through play, and assessments that incorporate this natural mode of exploration provide the most accurate understanding of their development.
Step-by-step explanation:
Play-based assessment is particularly useful for preschoolers. During the preschool stage, children engage actively in play, which allows them to express their cognitive development and social skills. Through play, preschool-age children explore, ask questions like "Why?", and demonstrate their understanding of basic time concepts and sequencing. Moreover, pretend play and inventing characters are intrinsic to their learning processes, as they begin to assert control over their world through initiative and social interactions.
For toddlers and preschoolers, activities like playing in the sandbox provide learning experiences about the world around them. A play-based assessment aligns well with the ways children of this age explore and understand the environment, making it a suitable method for gauging development and learning within this group.