One of the key issues of contemporary education is about conditions created for preparing children for the uncertainty and polyphony of positions that prevail in the modern world. Previous studies have shown that it is important to start at the Early Childhood Education level (Sylva et al., 2014). Activities such as pretend play are of particular interest since situations of uncertainty are modeled in the play process (Schulz, 2022) and play has an imperative role in children’s development (Liu et al., 2017; Smith & Roopnarine, 2018).

In play, a child can build an imaginary situation, take the initiative in constructing and transforming a plot, and solve challenges that arise in communication (Brėdikytė et al., 2015). Research shows that in mature pretend play, prerequisites arise for developing various functions – executive functions, imagination, and the ability for decentration. According to Vygotsky, pretend play is a leading activity that “represents the ninth wave of child development” (1967).

Research on play has highlighted the role of the adult as an important variable for the richness of play. This has been conceptualized in combination with Early Childhood Education Pedagogy. Besides the organization of the setting, one crucial condition for play development is joint play with the mediator of play culture (adult and/or older playful children). In the preschool setting, teachers can create special scaffolding situations and provide indirect and direct play support, creating a special subject-spatial environment that fosters play (Vygotsky, 1967; Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976). Recent studies show that preschool teachers in different countries prefer being outsiders instead of playing as partners with children (Devi, Fleer, & LI, 2018; Bredikyte, 2022) which, along with intensive schoolification, has been leading to the disappearance of play from Early Childhood Education centers.

The symposium includes empirical studies shedding light both on the power of play for developing children’s learning and on teachers’ perspectives on play, its role in pedagogy, and their play support strategies. The objective of the Symposium is to contribute to a research-based agenda for Early Childhood Education teachers’ play education. The Symposium combines perspectives from 3 countries and creates the space for dialogue between researchers to elaborate on the following research questions: how can teachers support the developmental potential of children's play, its impact on children's readiness to face situations of uncertainty in other contexts, for example, when solving non-standard problems; what strengths and deficits of play support strategies may be considered as specific or universal ones; how teachers’ education and professional development can be organized to make the shift (from didactic and outsider positions in joint play to partner) more sustainable.

The most important task of the Symposium is to highlight areas of professional learning that need to be further elaborated so that teachers can become playful, spontaneous, and ready to support children's play.

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