ABSTRACT
Play, for the youngest children, is an important activity
in which they make sense of the world around them,
express themselves and form relationships with others.
When children are playing, they are building the founda-
tions of all future learning. However, whilst there is some
acknowledgement by most parents, educationalists and
policy makers of the importance of play for very young
children’s learning and development, there is some-
times a genuine lack of understanding of how it should
be supported. This chapter offers both national and
international evidence from eminent neuroscientists,
developmental psychologists and early years researchers
that demonstrate the richness of young children’s play.
