Introduction to Play

Dr Jane Waters-Davies is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Originally a teacher in London, she has worked in higher education in Wales for over 20 years, leading programmes in Early Childhood Studies, and Initial Teacher Education. Jane now works with postgraduate research students in the field of education and sits on the Welsh Government advisory panel for early years. Her doctorate explored the affordances for interaction and child agency in the outdoor and indoor spaces of the early years at school. Her research interests lie in young children's play and learning, outdoor play and early concept development, and the professional education of those working with young children. She is passionate about the importance of early childhood educators understanding the complexities of the work they do, being able to advocate for playful learning on behalf of children, and being respected for the tremendous work they do.

Introduction - Jane Waters-Davies Part I: What is Play? Chapter 1: What is play? - Natalie MacDonald Chapter 2: Children's right to play - Jane Waters-Davies Chapter 3: Types of play - Alison Rees-Edwards Chapter 4: Play pioneers and their legacy - Alison Murphy Part II: Why is Play Important? Chapter 5: Play, learning and development - Natalie Canning & Angela Rekers Chapter 6: Play, and early language and communication - Amanda Bateman Chapter 7: Play, creativity and wellbeing - Charlotte Greenway & Laura Hutchings Part III: Where does Play Happen? Chapter 8: Enabling environments: indoors and out - Jennifer Clement Chapter 9: Outdoor play - Glenda Tinney Chapter 10: Play in the digital world: beyond the binary logic - Pekka Mertala & Saara Salomaa Chapter 11: The place of play in the Early Years curricula of the UK - Carys Jennings Chapter 12: The role of the adult in supporting play - Angela Rekers with Mel McCree Chapter 13: Play and inclusion - Nanna Ryder & Charlotte Greenway Chapter 14: Play in community spaces - Alex Southern Chapter 15: Intergenerational play - Margaret Kernan, Giulia Cortellesi & Mariana Palazuelos Part IV: International Perspectives Chapter 16: Cultural framing of expectations for play - Angela Rekers & Jane Waters-Davies Chapter 17: Play in extremis - Debra Laxton & Linda Cooper Chapter 18: Playful learning around the world - Sarah Chicken & Sarah Whitehouse Closing remarks: Is play under threat? - Jane Waters-Davies

'Introduction to Play', written by an array of well-educated authors, is utterly brilliant. It is jam-packed, teaching on all aspects of play, on a broad and deep scale. It speaks of what play is, the importance of play, the many different theorists that pioneered models of play, the positive health and well-being encouraged through play, the role of the adult in play, and much more. It is simply written, giving greater depth of understanding to the reader, with extra summary boxes to clarify what has been read. It also gives specific questions to consider within a Reflection Point section. This book is great if you are an Early Years Educator, a training Early Years practitioner, or even a new mum! It could benefit anyone who works with children, within different capacities. This is a superb resource! -- Shauna Hawker I recently read 'Introduction to Play' and being a mother of 2 little ones myself and studying Early Years at Uni, I certainly found this read worthwhile. It explores what play is, the importance of play and how it benefits children's development including positive health and well-being which is something close to my heart. Since I want my own children to benefit fully from play experiences, I liked how it discussed the role of the adult in play, directly speaking to me and the influence I can have. This book is engaging, interesting, simple to read and understand and I found it enjoyable too; I believe it will be a consistent resource I refer to throughout my children's early childhood and career when considering the importance of play. I loved learning about the various theorists that pioneered play models, that was interesting and, I really liked the summary and reflection points. An all round great book including the colourful cover that catches my eye, encouraging me to scan through the contents page to find something nice to read again! -- Amy, Early Years Student at UWTSD The chapters lend themselves well to the structure of the module and the case studies have been useful to pose reflection and discussion during taught sessions. The chapters are well thought out and support students to understand the links between theory and practice. The book addresses the role of the adult clearly, encouraging students to put into practice what they have read. I would also recommend this as essential reading for anyone new to teaching in the early years sector. -- Lauren Whale