Bringing together a collection of chapters from international experts in the field of early childhood education, Rethinking Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education seeks to explore how play in the Early Years is valued as a means of learning. The book discusses how play is presented, transformed by institutional and pedagogical discourses and ultimately experienced by children. Adopting cultural, conceptual and contextual approaches to play and pedagogy across its chapters, this book addresses contemporary emerging issues surrounding play and pedagogy including:

• the application of critical and socio-cultural analyses to play in early childhood
• renewed interest in the aesthetic, creative and affective dimensions of play in early childhood education
• competing discourses of ‘performativity’, market forces, social reconstruction and child-centredness
• children’s voice and participation within educational settings
• globalization, migration and cultural pluralism
• the role of digital technology in early childhood education
• diversity, identity and social justice within early childhood settings.

With international appeal and relevance, this book will be of interest to students taking undergraduate, Masters and doctoral courses in early childhood education, childhood and education studies as well as academic teachers and researchers, policy-makers and international agencies working with young children.