Table of Contents

Introduction 1. What is this thing called play? 2. Taking inventory of the world 3. Agency and ownership 4. Memory and its role in play 5. A sense of self: a sense of others 6. Sharing feelings and thoughts: playing at being an artist 7. Sharing feelings and thoughts: playing at being a symbol user 8. War play, cruel play, tragic play 9. Why play matters: voices

About the Author

Sandra Smidt is a retired educationalist, who now writes on aspects of early learning and development. Her most recent books include: Key Issues in Early Years Education (as editor); Introducing Vygotsky; Supporting Multilingual Learners in the Early Years and A Guide to Early Years Education, 3rd edition -- all published by Routledge.

Reviews

'Sandra Smidt brings together a wealth of contemporary thinking ...which brings quality early years playful pedagogy alive. The book is based on a lifetime of observations and reflections on children’s play and will be a wonderful resource for early years students on a wide range of courses. The author has included excellent examples of children’s play and learning from a range of cultures... outlines beautifully and concisely many of the major learning theories over the last several decades and sets them clearly in a play context. This alone will make this book an excellent resource for practitioners across the early years disciplines'Janet Moyles, Emeritus Professor (Anglia Ruskin) and Play Consultant