ABSTRACT
‘Organized play’ is a term now used as a comparison to ‘free play’, a false dichotomy if one examines the collected works of Iona and Peter Opie. Whether looking for cultural style across material, or stylized consistent clues about an individual’s behavior, it has been a central game of the humanities and social sciences. Iona and Peter Opie have invited us to observe the organizing of Children’s Organized Play, to challenge ourselves in the Great Motif Hunt in the way a child might challenge herself with a rope or ball, and to celebrate collection with artful presentation. Sort through children’s peer culture, carefully link games to other games, thread a needle. When they describe racing games, the Opies delineate races in which the progress of those taking part is dependent on their fulfilling a condition or presenting a particular qualification.
