ABSTRACT
It may be useful to sharpen the distinction between play, the behaviour which we grow out of as we grow up, and playfulness, the attitude of mind which can continue to influence our thinking and our behaviour throughout our lives. Play is often seen as a childish ‘pre’ behaviour which we leave behind when we learn how to do things properly. When schooling begins, the young child’s largely selfdirected exploration of things, people and situations is displaced by a more systematic induction into social patterns of meaning. The pressures of a prescribed curriculum then make it increasingly difficult to allow children to find their own way around what they need to know, so play is removed from work activities and isolated in playtimes and playgrounds. Play becomes a recreational form of activity earned by the completion of work.
