The book is based on the work of the famous British pediatrician and child development specialist Mary Sheridan. Her work focuses on spontaneous play in early childhood. The UK Department of Health published the book in 1977. Since then it has been reprinted dozens of times. This is the third edition of the book; psychologists Justin Howard and Don Alderson have adapted it for the modern reader and supplemented it with the results of the latest scientific research. Mary Sheridan believes that the ability to play spontaneously, without instructions from adults, is the most important skill for children. Games should become more difficult as you get older. And if this does not happen, parents have reason to think and observe their child to understand whether he is developing correctly. The authors describe popular theories of the origin of games, give different classifications of games, tell in detail at what age what skills are formed with the help of games. This book is a classic for parents, educators and pediatricians. It also pays great attention to working with children with special needs of mental and physical development.