The power of play in the revised EYFS

It is important to define and understand babies' and young children's play and the role of play in children's development.

Picture a three year-year-girl with her own roll of sticky tape. It is New Year's Day and she is not using the sticky tape in the way you or I would use it: she is running delightedly ahead of the roll as the sticky tape unravels behind her, sticking itself to everything it comes into contact with, including the floor and the door, before it wraps itself round her legs. Momentarily she is thrown forward, at this point the adults around her are poised to remonstrate with her, in order to protect her from harm, rather than spoil her fun. Indeed there is confusion about whether she should have the roll of tape at all. But within a moment she is off running again this time stopping in amazement as the last bit of the tape is unleashed from the roll and with a great whooshing sound it gathers itself into a muddled heap behind her as the tension is released: 'It's like a great big party popper, it's like a great big party popper' the three-year-old shrieks time and again with delight, falling to the floor laughing out loud.