You are here

Introduction to Play in Early Childhood
Share
Share

Introduction to Play in Early Childhood

Second Edition
Edited by:

Courses:
Play

May 2026 | 312 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

This is the definitive resource for students and early childhood professionals seeking to understand meaningful play experiences for younger children. Covering ages 0-8, this comprehensive guide explores what play in early childhood is, why it matters, and where and how it happens. With fully updated content and new chapters, it provides everything you need for your early childhood degree and your practice, helping you to:

  • Think critically about play and play provision.
  • Understand what good early childhood practice looks like.
  • See how educational theory translates into real-world settings.
  • Explore the issues, debates, and challenges within play and early learning.
  • This second edition includes new chapters on:
    • Exciting contemporary approaches to the pedagogy of play.
    • Observing and assessing play, with an emphasis on inclusive practice.
    • Planning for play, to support effective active learning.

  •  
    Part I: What Is Play?
    Natalie MacDonald
    1. What is play?
    Jane Waters-Davies
    2. Children’s Right to Play
    Allison Rees-Edwards
    3. Types of Play
    Alison Murphy
    4. Play Pioneers and their Legacy
    Lauren Whale and Louise Atkins
    5. Contemporary Playful Pedagogies
     
    Part II: Why Is Play Important?
    Natalie Canning and Angela Rekers
    6. Play, Learning, and Development
    Amanda Bateman
    7. Play, Early Language and Communication
    Charlotte Greenway and Laura Hutchings
    8. Play, Creativity and Well-Being
    Tereza Aidonopoulou-Read
    9. Observation and Assessment of Play
    Karen Boardman and Jennie Swift
    10. Planning for Play
     
    Part III: Where Does Play Happen?
    Jennie Clement
    11. Enabling Environments: Indoors and Out
    Glenda Tinney
    12. Outdoor Play
    Pekka Mertala and Daara Salomaa
    13. Play in the Digital World: Beyond the Binary Logic
    Carys Jennings
    14. The Place of Play in the Early Years Curricula of the UK
    Angela Rekers and Mel McCree
    15. The Role of the Adult in Supporting Play
    Nanna Ryder and Charlotte Greenway
    16. Play and Inclusion
    Maragret Kernan, Giulia Cortellesi, and Mariana Palazuelos
    17. Intergenerational Play
     
    Part IV: International Perspectives
    Angela Rekers and Jane Waters-Davies
    18. Cultural Framing of Expectations for Play
    Debra Laxton, Linda Cooper, and Sarah Ndlovu
    19. Play in Extremis
    Sarah Chicken and Sarah Whitehouse
    20. Playful Learning around the World

    Sage College Publishing

    You can purchase or sample this product on our Sage College Publishing site:

    Go To College Site