Several contemporary authors offer a reading of Vygotskij's contributions on play and its role in preschool child development (Kravstov & Kravstova, 2010; Smirnova, 2017, Nilsson & Ferholt, 2014; Fleer, 2020; Pramling et al., 2019; Bodrova & Leong, 2015; Smolucha & Smolucha, 2021; van Oers, 2013). Here we will select frequently cited authors who published after 2000 and cite the 1933 text on play.
For this paper, we chose to compare different interpretations of play and its role in child development and more specifically in the creation of a ZPD. This analysis will allow us to identify : the points of convergence and divergence between the authors, the characteristics necessary for the creation of a ZPD in moments of play and the elements that fall under a theory of play in preschool children.
Next, we will look at the authors who propose an explanation of the role of play in the creation of a ZPD. We will cross-reference these interpretations with the pedagogical models proposed by these authors, from the perspective of a didactics of play and/or a didactics through play. This analysis will allow us to identify the role of the adult and his/her interventions in these moments of play initiated by the child or the adult and in the creation of a ZPD.
Finally, we will conclude by proposing a redefinition of the role of play in the creation of a ZPD by articulating the different interpretations and uses of the theory of play developed by Vygostkij (1933/2021).