A Vygotskian Approach to Play Development

The book is inspired by the Vygotskian perspective on play support and invites readers to learn about existing play practices based on cultural-historical approach from different countries and reflect on their own play support strategy. It will provide a research-based guide for practitioners on how to use a cultural-historical approach to enhance their play practice and create conditions for play development.

The book includes practical cases and covers a range of contexts, exploring key challenges of play support:

· Concept of play: Cultural-historical perspectives on play

· Treasures of play: The role of play with imaginary situations in a child’s development

· Play support: The role of an adult in supporting play

The book also provides tools for pedagogical observation, and shows how we can learn about crucial conditions for play development from cultural-historical perspectives and how to create them in preschool settings. Readers can reflect on their role in play support and learn about playful adults as partners and mediators in collaborative play, using tools for reflexive analysis of their own play support strategy.

The book is an ideal choice for early years practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and all those interested in cultural-historical approach and play support.