title: Play: the arena for acquisition of rules for competent behavior.
abstract: Play is acknowledged as a critical, complex arena of learning. In play, individuals process information about their location in space, time, and personal relationships. One mechanism for organizing this information is the rule. This paper defines the rule as a symbol and its relationship to skilled action. With this perspective of rules, preliminary questions about play are posed. The occupational therapist can organize the observation of play based on the yield from these questions.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D009949:Orientation; D010988:Play and Playthings