ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the ways in which children's development can be supported through play. It considers the importance of play for the development of secure attachment bonds and the different roles adults might adopt when playing with children. The chapter also considers the value and importance of play across a variety of contexts that might be encountered by children as they grow. In addition, it explores the work of play professionals within these contexts. Mary D. Sheridan identifies four provisions as being of primary importance to enable spontaneous play: playthings, playspace, playtime and playmates. Children being creative with items that are not restricted by a particular use is framed within Nicholson's theory of loose parts. This emphasizes the value of offering children open-ended and often natural play materials that give them the opportunity to develop their play in introducing, modifying and changing ideas.
