Theorising Play in the Early Years is a theoretical and empirical exploration of the concept of pedagogy and play in early childhood education. The book provides an in-depth examination of classical and contemporary theories of play, with a focus on post-developmental perspectives and Vygotskian theory.

A theoretical and empirical exploration of the concept of pedagogy and play in early childhood education.

Theorising Play in the Early Years is a theoretical and empirical exploration of the concept of pedagogy and play in early childhood education. The book provides an in-depth examination of classical and contemporary theories of play, with a focus on post-developmental perspectives and Vygotskian theory. In this book, Marilyn Fleer draws on a range of cross-cultural research in order to challenge Western perspectives and to move beyond a universal view of the construct of play. Culture and context are central to the understanding of how play is valued, expressed and used as a pedagogical approach in early childhood education across the international community. Designed as a companion to the textbook Play in the Early Years, but also useful on its own, Theorising Play in the Early Years provides indispensible support to academics and TAFE lecturers in early childhood education in their course development and research.

The second edition of Play in the Early Years provides a comprehensive introduction to pedagogy and play in early years education settings. Drawing on classical and contemporary theories, this text examines social, cultural and institutional approaches to play, and explores a range of strategies for successfully integrating play into classrooms. Thoroughly revised to include the latest methods and research, this edition features new material on intentional teaching, play as learning, digital play, and discipline-specific content. Two new chapters discuss post-structuralist and cultural-historical conceptions of play, and extended practical examples link pedagogical practice to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Australian Curriculum. The text is pedagogically rich, and each chapter is supported by a comprehensive companion website which provides links to videos, readings and supplementary activities. Freshly presented in a new full colour layout and written in an engaging style, Play in the Early Years remains an essential resource for pre-service students and practitioners.

Based on the pioneering work of Mary D. Sheridan, Play in Early Childhood is a classic introductory text to play and development – key topics for all those who work with young children. Updated for a contemporary audience and fully evidence-based, it explains how children’s play develops and how they develop as they play. With over eighty illustrations and observations of play from birth to six years, this new edition presents classical and contemporary literature, making clear links between play and all areas of children’s development. It includes activities to consolidate thinking and suggestions for further reading throughout. Play in Early Childhood considers: the development, value and characteristics of play issues relating to culture, adversity and gender play from recreational, therapeutic and educational perspectives the role of parents/caregivers and professionals in supporting play Suitable for those new to the area or for more experienced workers wanting a quick reference guide, this easy-to-follow book meets the needs of students and professionals from a wide range of health, education and social care backgrounds, including early years professionals, playworkers, children’s nurses, speech and language therapists and social workers.

This book provides new theoretical insights to our understanding of play as a cultural activity. All chapters address play and playful activities from a cultural-historical theoretical approach by re-addressing central claims and concepts in the theory and providing new models and understandings of the phenomenon of play within the framework of cultural historical theory. Empirical studies cover a wide range of institutional settings: preschool, school, home, leisure time, and in various social relations (with peers, professionals and parents) in different parts of the world (Europe, Australia, South America and North America). Common to all chapters is a goal of throwing new light on the phenomenon of playing within a theoretical framework of cultural-historical theory. Play as a cultural, collective, social, personal, pedagogical and contextual activity is addressed with reference to central concepts in relation to development and learning. Concepts and phenomena related to ZPD, the imaginary situation, rules, language play, collective imagining, spheres of realities of play, virtual realities, social identity and pedagogical environments are presented and discussed in order to bring the cultural-historical theoretical approach into play with contemporary historical issues. Essential as a must read to any scholar and student engaged with understanding play in relation to human development, cultural historical theory and early childhood education.

This book re-theorizes the relationship between pedagogy and play. The authors suggest that pedagogical play is characterized by conceptual reciprocity (a pedagogical approach for supporting children’s academic learning through joint play) and agentic imagination (a concept that when present in play, affords the child’s motives and imagination a critical role in learning and development). These new concepts are brought to life using a cultural-historical approach to the analysis of play, supported in each chapter by visual narratives used as a research method for re-theorising play as a pedagogical activity. Whenever a cultural-historical approach is applied to understanding pedagogical play, the whole context of the playful event is always included. Further, the child’s cultural environment is taken into account in order to better understand their play. Children from different countries play differently for many reasons, which may include their resources, local cultural beliefs about play and specific pedagogical practices. The inclusion and acknowledgement of social, cultural and historical contexts gives credence and value to understanding play from both child and adult perspectives, which the authors believe is important for the child’s learning and development. As such, the relationships that children and adults have with human and non-human others, as well as any connections with artefacts and the material environment, are included in all considerations of pedagogical play.