This practical book provides an accessible framework for observing and assessing children's learning through play. It will help early years practitioners to deepen their understanding of the links between intellectual development, the growth of language and the emotional well-being of young children. Drawing on many years of research and working with teachers, Pat Broadhead has developed the Social Play Continuum, a unique observation tool and a means of monitoring and developing a child's social progress through skills such as problem-solving, investigation and imagination discourse. This tool forms an integral part of this innovative text, offering practitioners in a wide range of early years settings a means of focusing their observations of play. In addition, the book: supports the development of 'areas of provision' illustrates progression from 'association' to 'cooperative' play considers links with the Foundation Stage Curriculum, Profiling and the National Curriculum acknowledges the many constraints that have operated on early years practitioners in the past decade. Blending theory and practice this book is aimed at all early years' practitioners concerned with quality provision for their pupils. It is also the ideal text to support student teachers, classroom assistants and undergraduates on early childhood studies degrees.