ABSTRACT
In Chapter 4 you were introduced to the importance of
the first three years of life and the crucial role early ex-
periences play in the development of very young chil-
dren. In this chapter we consider children between the
ages of 3 and 6 as we explore playing in the later years
of the Early Years Foundation Stage in England. The
key focus is on promoting play for learning purposes,
not only to achieve the EYFS themes, but also to value
play in its own right. The aim of this chapter is to en-
courage you to examine your perceptions of play for
this group of children and, whilst the main focus is
embedded in educational early childhood education
and care settings, readers are requested always to bear
in mind the experiences, knowledge and values the
children bring with them from home. This means not
only having knowledge of children’s individuality, cul-
ture, identity and diversity, but also valuing what new
experiences children bring every day. Children do not
only learn when they are in school or being directly
taught by an adult; they have a wealth of valuable and
interesting learning experiences during every evening,
weekend and holiday.
