Interpretations of What Vygotsky Brings to Play and its Role in Development / Interpretaciones sobre la contribución de Vygotski al juego y su papel en el desarrollo

In many countries, pretend play in school is the stuff of controversy. To shed light on this question, several contemporary researchers who specialize in preschool education refer to a text by Vygotsky (1966/2016) on the role of play in the development of the child. The present article analyzes the understanding and uses of Vygotsky’s contributions in their writings. How is play described? What are the essential dimensions of play that are called upon? How do the authors explain the fact that pretend play creates a zone of proximal development? How does this play develop? How can make-believe play promote school learning? These are the questions that this paper attempts to answer with the selected authors.