ABSTRACT
The role of play in children's development is not only controversial scientifically; it has also led to extreme positions at times in regards to policies regarding early education. This chapter reviews the sources of evidence. Some types of evidence simply make a plausible case for play being helpful in learning. Some types of evidence are empirically based, either correlating play with learning outcomes, or directly contrasting play with other kinds of experience for their effectiveness in learning. After an initial broad overview, the chapter focuses on pretend play and on cognitive and literacy development. It looks at some main theories, including evolutionary perspectives, cross-cultural evidence, arguments by design, correlational evidence, and experimental evidence. The chapter discusses the nature of the evidence and principles of study, and explores some important pitfalls in experimental studies that were exposed during the 1970s and 1980s.
