There has been a growing academic interest in the role of outdoor spaces for play in a child's development. This text represents a coordinated and comprehensive volume of international research on this subject edited by members of the well-established European Early Childhood Education Research Association Outdoor Play and Learning SIG (OPAL). Chapters written by authors from Europe, North and South America, Australasia and Asia Pacific countries are organised into six sections: Theoretical Frameworks and Conceptual Approaches for Understanding Outdoor Play & Learning Critical Reflections on Policy and Regulation in Outdoor Play & Learning Children's Engagement with Nature, Sustainability and Children's Geographies Diverse Contexts and Inclusion in Children's Outdoor Play Environments Methodologies for Researching Outdoor Play and Learning Links Between Research and Practice

Decisions relating to children's lives, including formation of policies about children and young people, advocating for children's rights, educational instruction and parenting all depend on images of children and childhoods. Nonetheless, prevailing images of childhood are not often subject to critique. Images of Childhood offers an examination of public images of childhood in the context of research findings. Authors from a wide range of disciplines, including early childhood, psychology, anthropology and health analyse contemporary images of childhood. Diverse methods are used to consider whether public domain images concur with current research findings across the age range of infancy to adolescence. Images of Childhood provides insights into the many pathways of image formation, including ways in which research evidence has been used successfully, distorted or minimised as part of this process.