'It's one of your main things in life like': how children's conceptualisations of play can inform educational practice

Play is fundamental to childhood yet difficult to define, with the views of the players themselves often overlooked. Sixty-eight children (aged 4 to 13 years) were interviewed across two primary schools in the Republic of Ireland to gain a child-centred understanding of play. Reflexive thematic analysis generated thirteen themes: (1) fun; (2) social; (3) creative and imaginative; (4) physically active; (5) context-dependent; (6) a fundamental childhood experience; (7) happiness and pleasure; (8) toys and materials; (9) games; (10) autonomy and agency; (11) outdoors and nature; (12) competition and challenge; and (13) adult involvement. Implications for education include the need to use children's conceptualisations of play to create authentic play experiences.