Are We Play-Proofing Preschools, Kindergartens, and Schools? Conceptual PlayWorlds as the Source of Children's Development of Imagination and Learning

The author draws on Lev S. Vygotsky's conception of play and Gunilla Lindqvist's methodology concerning the aesthetics of play to discuss play practice in early childhood classrooms. Based on the study of an educational experiment at a primary school, she discusses how children in a school setting simultaneously engage in developed forms of imagining employing concepts in the shared intellectual space afforded by a Conceptual PlayWorld. She argues that, by showcasing for policy makers the advantages of this cultural-historical program, teachers can support play as a leading source for the development of imagination and learning for young children in preschool, kindergarten, and early classrooms.