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Bäckman, K. (2014). Children's play as a starting point for teaching mathematics in preschool. In A Mathematics Education Perspective on early Mathematics Learning between the Poles of Instruction and Construction (POEM, Research symposium, 16-17 June 2014, [Sweden]

Bäckman, K. (2016). Children’s Play as a Starting Point for Teaching Shapes and Patterns in the Preschool. In: Meaney, T., Helenius, O., Johansson, M., Lange, T., Wernberg, A. (eds.) Mathematics Education in the Early Years. Springer.  [Sweden]

Bradbury, A. (2024). The early years and play: The last bastion for democracy. Democracy & education.  BERA Research Intelligence. Issue 160. Autumn 2024.  [England]

Bradbury, A. & Hare, M. (2025). Play Policy and Power - A report reviewing literature: Early Childhood Education in the UK. Early Years Reviews. [England]

Camas Garrido, L. (2018). Children’s play and democratic culture. International Journal of Play, 7(3), 308–321. [Spain]

Carruthers, E. & Worthington, M. (2022). Playful, play and children’s mathematics? Education Journal 486, 14. May 2022. [England]

Carruthers, E. (2020). Mathematical teaching  in nursery schools in England: A way forward for mathematical pretend play and democratic pedagogies. Review of Science, Mathematics and ICT Education, 14(2) 25-41. [England]

Carruthers, E.  Open mathematics: Open minds: Children’s thinking and mathematics. Community Playthings. [England]

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Chen, H., Disney, L., & Li, l. (2024). Studying children's motives in mathematical problem-solving during transition from kindergarten to school: A Conceptual Play World approach. Learning, Culture and social interaction 48. [Australia]

Chesworth, L. (2016) A funds of knowledge approach to examining play interests: listening to children’s and parents’ perspectives, International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(3), 294-308.  [England]

Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2026, July). Play vs.(?) “The Science of Math”: a dialectical synthesis for early mathematics teaching. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 11, p. 1805141). [USA]

Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2026, July). Play vs.(?) “The Science of Math”: a dialectical synthesis for early mathematics teaching. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 11, p. 1805141). [USA]

Cook, D. (2001). ‘You can't have a cake unless it's written down’: Semiotic activity and authentic learning in play as a potential tool for analysis. Early Child Development and Care, 168(1), 49-62. [England]

Cook, D. (2006). Mathematical sense making and role play in the nursery. Early Childhood Development and Care, 121(1), 55-66. [England]

Culverhouse, H. (2017). An investigation into indoor and outdoor mathematical play. Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM). May, 2017. [England]

DCSF (2009). Children Thinking Mathematically: PSRN essential knowledge for Early Years practitioners.[Carruthers & Worthington were commissioned by the government to write this booklet]. [England]

Edo, M., Planas, N., & Badillo, E. (2009). Mathematical learning in a context of play. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 1(3): 1350-29. [Spain]

Evans, M. (2021). Play-based learning in the early childhood mathematics classroom: Culturally sustaining play. Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning 2(1), 31-53. [USA]

(22/04/21). Editorial: The Guardian view on child’s play: help kids be themselves..  [England]

Gaskins, S. (2013). Pretend play as a culturally constructed activity. In M. Taylor (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of the imagination (pp. 224–247). Oxford University. [England]

Gkouskou, E., & Tunnicliffe, S. D. (2022). Exploring the possibilities of STEM and play in preschool years in England. Play and STEM Education in the Early Years: International Policies and Practices, 123-148. [England]

Gleave, J., & Cole-Hamilton, I. (2012). A world without play - A literature review. Play England. [England]

Grant, H. (2025). 'The  impact has been profound':the headteacher bringing play back to the classroom. The Guardian, 11.06.2025. [England]

Helenius, O., Johansson, M. L., Lange, T., Meaney, T., Riesbeck, E., & Wernberg, A. (2016). When is young children’s play mathematical? In Mathematics Education in the Early Years, 139-156. Springer. [England]

Johnson, J. E., Sevimli-Celik, S., Al-Mansour, M. A., Tunçdemir, T. B. A., & Dong, P. I. (2019). Play in early childhood education. In Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 165-175). Routledge.

Johnsen Høines, M. (2004). Do we welcome children’s mathematics? Who are we? Proceedings of the 28th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education I, pp. 81–86. [England]

Karabon, A. (2017). They’re lovin’it: How preschool children mediated their funds of knowledge into dramatic play. Early Child Development and Care, 187(5-6), 896-909. [USA]

Kennedy, T.J., Tunnicliffe, S.D. (2022). Introduction: The role of play and STEM in the early years. In: Tunnicliffe, S.D., Kennedy, T.J. (eds) Play and STEM education in the early years. Springer. [England]

Kirkham, J., Stewart, A., & Kidd, E. (2013). Concurrent and longitudinal relationships between development in graphic, language and symbolic play domains from the fourth to the fifth year. Infant and Child Development, 22: 297–319. [England / Australia]

Li, L. (2025). Agentic imagination in joint play in a home setting. In Adults in Play with Children (pp. 139-155). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. [Australia]

Moll, L. Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzales, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a  qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory into Practice, 31(2), 132-141. [USA]

Nolan, A., Paatsch, L., & Kinnear, V. (2024): Enriching the professional capital of primary school teachers to assess play and learning through play. Professional Development in Education. [Australia]

Okeke, C., Baloyi-Mothibeli, S., & Ugwuanyi, C. (2024). Exploring Practitioners’ Lived Mathematical Play Practices in the Early Childhood Care and Education Setting. Atfaluna Journal of Islamic Early Childhood Education, 7(2). [South Africa]

O’Sullivan, L., & Ring, E. (2018). Play as learning: implications for educators and parents from findings of a national evaluation of school readiness in Ireland. International Journal of Play, 7(3), 266–289. [Ireland]

Reikerås, E. (2020). Relations between play skills and mathematical skills in toddlers. ZDM, 52(4), 703-716. [Norway]

Salomonsen, T. (2020). What does the research tell us about how children best learn mathematics? Early Child Development and Care, 190(13), 2150–2158. [Norway]

Sarama, J., & Clements, D.H. (2025) Playing to know the world mathematically. Educational  Studies in Mathematics. 

Somolanji Tokić, I., & Borovac, T. (2020). Children’s symbolic play during the transition to school. International Journal of Early Years Education, 28(3), 232-245. [Croatia]

Souto-Manning, M. (2017). Is play a privilege or a right? And what’s our responsibility? On the role of play for equity in early childhood education, Early Child Development and Care, 187(5-6), 785-787. 

Stokes, H. A. (2023). The barriers utilising play-based learning in England's primary school classrooms. The British Psychological Society.

Svensson, C. (2022). Discerning preschool teacher’s experiences to enhance children’s participation in mathematical play activities. Springer  Nature Social Sciences, 2, 157. [Sweden]

van Oers, B,  (2013). Is it play? Towards a reconceptualisation of role play from an activity theory perspective, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 21(2), 185-198. [The Netherlands]

van Oers, B. (2023). The development of mathematical thinking in young children’s play: The role of communicative tools. In: Palmér, H., Björklund, C., Reikerås, E., Elofsson, J. (eds) Teaching mathematics as to be Meaningful – Foregrounding Play and Children’s Perspectives. Springer, Cham. [The Netherlands]

Voutsina, C., Stott, D. (2023). Preschool children’s conceptions of the meanings and use of written numerals in everyday life: a phenomenographic study of the nature and structure of qualitative variation. Educational Studies in Mathematics. 114, 274-275.

Vygotsky, L.S. (1933/1966). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Psychology and Marxism Internet Archive (marxists.org) 2002. 

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University.

Whitebread, D., Basilio, M., Kuvalja, M., & Verma, M. (2012). The importance of play. Brussels: Toy Industries of Europe, 1-55. [England]

Wood, E. (2022). Play and learning in early childhood education: Tensions and challenges. Child Studies 1, 15-26. [England]

Wood, E. & Hedges, H. (2016). Curriculum in early childhood: Critical questions about content, coherence and control. The Curriculum Journal, 27(3), 387-405.

Wood, E, A. (2014). Free choice and free play in early childhood education: troubling the discourse. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(1), 4-18. [England]

Worthington, M. (2018).  Funds of knowledge: Children's cultural ways of knowing mathematics. In V. Kinnear, M-Y Lai & T. Muir (Eds.), Forging connections in early mathematics teaching and learning. [England]

  Worthington, M., & van Oers, B. (2016). Pretend play and the cultural foundations of mathematics. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 24(1), 51-66. [England]

Worthington, M. For more articles on play, please see: Our publications. [England]

Yayla, M., & Ivrendi, A. (2025). Predicting play participation from parents’ views on play and parenting attitudes. Primary Education, 7(28), 54-68. 

Zhang, W., Liang Li, L., & Disney, L. (2025b). "Asking questions is the key". Chinese kindergarten teachers support children's mathematical concept learning and spatial reasoning through a Conceptual PlayWold approach. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 1-30.  [Australia]