Dr Kay Owen is a Developmental Psychologist, currently lecturing on the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies and MA Childhood degrees at the University of Derby. Her particular research interests are the development of cognition during the pre-school period, and how play, and early relationships impact development.

Introduction: The Problem with Play - Kay Owen & Alistair Turvill
Chapter 1: The Changing Face of Play - Kay Owen
Chapter 2: The Role of Play in Child Development - Kay Owen & Christopher Barnes
Chapter 3: Understanding Childrens Play Behaviours - Jenny Boldrin
Chapter 4: Play in the Great Outdoors - Su Wall & Kay Owen
Chapter 5: Digital Play in Early Childhood - Alistair Turvill
Chapter 6: Play and Gender - Kay Owen & Jenny Hallam
Chapter 7: Therapeutic Play: What are we playing at? - Carol Fenton
Chapter 8: Childrens Right to Play - Julianne Harlow & Martin Smith
Chapter 9: Learning and Play: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment - Su Wall & Sarah Roeschlaub
Chapter 10: A Historical View of Anthropological, International & Intercultural Perspectives - Marco Antonio Delgado-Fuentes
Chapter 11: Autism and Play - Trevor Cotterill
Conclusion: The Real Problem with Play - Kay Owen
Glossary