Child's play

a multidisciplinary perspective

Maxine Sheets-Johnstone

pp. 409-430

in: Human Studies 26 (4), 2003.

Abstract

Competition obscures the realities and significance of play, in particular, the bodily play originating in infancy and typical of young children. A multidisciplinary perspective on child's play elucidates the nature of child's play and validates the distinction between competition and play. The article begins with a consideration of ethological research on play in young human and nonhuman animals, proceeds to a consideration of psychological research on laughter as a primary kinetic marker of play, and ends with a philosophical examination of the foundational moral significances of child's play.