ABSTRACT
The growth of the toy library concept, with its emphasis on play and parent participation, may be seen as the product of a particular combination of academic, economic and sociological circumstances. Of central importance has been the rapid expansion of research effort in the area of children's play since the late sixties. A significant factor in such investigations has been the application of ethological principles to the study of parent – child interaction; such investigation (Schaffer) has produced much evidence as to the primary importance of play in children's development. The parts they play are complementary, but independent; and negotiation in the main part takes the form of play. Play, then, has come to be recognized as the vehicle whereby the meaning of the world is passed to the child. It is also the vehicle whereby the child assimilates and makes the world his/her own. As such, the importance of play has been underlined by recent research efforts.
