This book takes a detailed look at the complex area of young children's play as it is understood in the early twenty-first century, and in particular at the relationships between play, learning and teaching which are enacted in early childhood settings, across countries as different as England and the USA, Sweden and the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. It examines contemporary thinking about the role of play in the early years from a range of perspectives, and offers new ways to understand and define the relationship between learning and play. Its contributors bring together theory, practice and research evidence to make their arguments, which are illustrated through a range of international, cross-cultural examples.

Contributors: Jo Ailwood, Joy Cullen, Brian Edmiston, Marilyn Fleer, Helen Hedges, Barbara Jordan, Anna Kilderry, Annica Lofdahl, Alex Moran, Andrea Nolan, Bert van Oers, Ann Merete Otterstad, Jeannette Rhedding-Jones, Sue Rogers, Annette Sandberg, Tuula Vuorinen.