ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to present recent theoretical elaborations of cultural historical approaches to children's pretend play and ongoing experimenting on playworld concept and practices. It contributes to the much needed development of what J. Gabbay and A. May, researchers in the medical world, call mindlines. The book offers connection to communities of practice by the contributing authors and others in other dialogic spaces. Playworld projects are attempts to compensate for the disappearance of multigenerational children's play cultures from today's societies. Playworlds are children's and adults' joint play environments aiming at more advanced imaginary play. At the same time playworld is the adult's didactic tool of indirect play guidance. Play is genuinely the children's own activity and children have to feel true ownership and willingness to transform ideas into play actions, which adults have hinted at.
