ABSTRACT
This chapter covers several issues regarding play and investigates the difficulty in defining play and the different types of play. It explores theories of why children play and how play can be incorporated into school curricula. The chapter examines the changing nature of play and rise of technological play. Bronfenbrenner's emphasis on child as an 'active agent' has implications for who might lead play and with what outcomes in mind, if any. The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) study informed Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and highlighted the importance of the role of adult in developing instructive environments and routines as well as in teacher-initiated group work. Play deprivation has been linked to range of problems including physical and emotional illnesses, especially obesity and depression, addictive predilections, low school achievement and lack of social skills. There is an increasing realisation that lack of play causes physical and psychological problems and that play therapy can help children with such problems.
