‘Play’ is sometimes contrasted with ‘work’ and characterised as a type of activity which is
essentially unimportant, trivial and lacking in any serious purpose. As such, it is seen as
something that children do because they are immature, and as something they will grow out
of as they become adults. However, as this report is intended to demonstrate, this view is
mistaken. Play in all its rich variety is one of the highest achievements of the human species,
alongside language, culture and technology. Indeed, without play, none of these other
achievements would be possible. The value of play is increasingly recognised, by researchers
and within the policy arena, for adults as well as children, as the evidence mounts of its
relationship with intellectual achievement and emotional well-being.