ABSTRACT
Definitions of play have been many and various, but an understanding of play’s importance for child development is now firmly established. As a child traverses the childhood years, play and development evolve organically in symbiosis with each other. While the form of a child’s play reflects developmental, cultural, and circumstantial differences, the fundamentals of play remain largely unchanged and unchallenged. In 1977, the International Play Association differentiated nine characteristic features of play which have informed all subsequent attempts to capture its essence and to understand its role in children’s lives, including its importance for their health and development. Article 31 and General Comment 17 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognize play as fundamental to the quality of childhood, to children’s entitlement to optimum development, to the promotion of resilience, and to the realization of other rights. For children, play is not a choice but a necessity, as crucial to their health and well-being as security, shelter, and sustenance.
