Vygotsky was probably the first modern day theorist to fully consider the meaning and value of play in children’s lives, and to recognise how the learning that occurs as a result of children’s participation in play is ‘socially constructed’ – that is, their learning does not occur in isolation from their surrounding environment, which includes places, things and, perhaps most importantly, people.

Vygotsky believed that “play” played a central role in promoting brain development. No one had ever placed so much importance on play for development. He believed that children’s abilities could be perfected through play. The main advantage of play is that children are putting their abilities into practice almost without realizing it.