This book chapter is a review of the recent, English-language qualitative research on children’s play. It focuses on the place play has in children’s experience and giving sense to the world. Thus, it will leave aside the large and important body of research on the effect or outcomes (benefits and possible harmful consequences) of play which however tells us little on why children like to play so much and in particular on why they play so intensively, on why they are so much absorbed by play.