The role of play in children's learning

2.1 Introduction

Before making judgements about the value of play, it is important to be clear about how we define ‘play?. Is play unstructured exploration of the immediate environment? Does participating in a board game count as play? Does a baby's exploration of a treasure basket count as play? Are children playing when they share rude jokes in the playground? Are children playing when they act out a scene from Roman life in assembly? In the next activity you have the opportunity to identify those activities you think can best be described as play.

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