ABSTRACT
Much has been written about the importance of play in the lives of children: for their health and development and for their learning. This book extends the play conversation to include its role in lifespan development, presenting the evidence for play as a universal contributory factor to health and development from birth to old age and death. Taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s ‘Seven Ages of Man’, the book includes contributions from a cross section of experts in the field who share their individual perspectives on play for health through the different stages of the life course. These ‘case-stories’ serve to enliven discussion of the multifactorial influences on health and development for a broad readership.
