ABSTRACT
The 4-to 8-years period is significant as an important transition from the earliest years of being a child to becoming and being a young student in formal schooling. Playing during this period is multitudinously expressed across many contexts and remains a central preoccupation of childhood. Many different play forms occur with some types of play appearing as helpful for learning or development, play as a ‘workshop for life,’ but other play types appearing more as ‘an escape from reality,’ or as having entertainment value only at best. Still other play forms can heal or restore.
