A History of Children’s Play from the Earliest Days of Humanity to Nowadays: Historical and Conceptual Review.

Our study aims to analyze the evolution of play from a diachronic perspective, evoking at the same time the mythical, realistic, imaginary, cognitive, emotional and social dimensions, starting with the earliest days of humanity and up to the present day. At the same time, we captured the universal, multidisciplinary and polysematic nature of play by approaching it from a synchronic perspective. The objectives and functions of play, from the perspective of human development, have been researched for more than a century by thinkers and scientists who have established the value of play for learning and development, but also the consequences of the lack of play in the children's life. In carrying out this study we analyzed the published literature and summarized the most relevant researches, opinions and recommendations concerning the evolution of play and its importance for the harmonious development, wellbeing and happiness of the children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]