Imagining fairy-tale turrets and fire-breathing dragons, wicked witches and gallant heroes, she's creating an enchanting world.

What does "enchanting" mean in this sentence?

Imagining fairy-tale turrets and fire-breathing dragons, wicked witches and gallant heroes, she's creating an enchanting world.

What does "wicked" mean?

Although she isn't aware of it, this fantasy is helping her take her first steps towards her capacity for creativity and so it will have important repercussions in her adult life.

What does "take sb first steps" mean in this sentence?

Although she isn't aware of it, this fantasy is helping her take her first steps towards her capacity for creativity and so it will have important repercussions in her adult life.

What does "repercussions" mean in this sentence?

Minutes later, Alice has abandoned the kingdom in favour of playing schools with her younger brother. When she bosses him around as his 'teacher', she's practising how to regulate her emotions through pretence.

What does "in favour of" mean in this sentence?

Minutes later, Alice has abandoned the kingdom in favour of playing schools with her younger brother. When she bosses him around as his 'teacher', she's practising how to regulate her emotions through pretence.

What does "boss sb around" mean in this sentence?

Later on, when they tire of this and settle down with a board game, she's learning about the need to follow rules and take turns with a partner.

What does "tire of" mean in this sentence?

Later on, when they tire of this and settle down with a board game, she's learning about the need to follow rules and take turns with a partner.

What does "settle down " mean in this sentence?

'It underpins how we develop as intellectual, problem-solving adults and is crucial to our success as a highly adaptable species.'

What does "underpin" mean in this sentence?

Minutes later, Alice has abandoned the kingdom in favour of playing schools with her younger brother. When she bosses him around as his 'teacher', she's practising how to regulate her emotions through pretence.

What does "regulate" mean in this sentence?

'It underpins how we develop as intellectual, problem-solving adults and is crucial to our success as a highly adaptable species.'

What does "crucial " mean in this sentence?

'It underpins how we develop as intellectual, problem-solving adults and is crucial to our success as a highly adaptable species.'

What does "adaptable " mean in this sentence?

Recognising the importance of play is not new: over two millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Plato extolled its virtues as a means of developing skills for adult life, and ideas about play-based learning have been developing since the 19th century.

What does "extol" mean in this sentence?

Recognising the importance of play is not new: over two millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Plato extolled its virtues as a means of developing skills for adult life, and ideas about play-based learning have been developing since the 19th century.

What does "virtues " mean in this sentence?

But we live in changing times, and Whitebread is mindful of a worldwide decline in play, pointing out that over half the people in the world now live in cities.

What does "be mindful of sth" mean in this sentence?

'The opportunities for free play, which I experienced almost every day of my childhood, are becoming increasingly scarce,' he says.

What does "scarce" mean in this sentence?

Outdoor play is curtailed by perceptions of risk to do with traffic, as well as parents' increased wish to protect their children from being the victims of crime, and by the emphasis on 'earlier is better' which is leading to greater competition in academic learning and schools.

What does "curtail" mean in this sentence?

Outdoor play is curtailed by perceptions of risk to do with traffic, as well as parents' increased wish to protect their children from being the victims of crime, and by the emphasis on 'earlier is better' which is leading to greater competition in academic learning and schools.

What does "emphasis" mean in this sentence?

Outdoor play is curtailed by perceptions of risk to do with traffic, as well as parents' increased wish to protect their children from being the victims of crime, and by the emphasis on 'earlier is better' which is leading to greater competition in academic learning and schools.

What does "perceptions" mean in this sentence?

International bodies like the United Nations and the European Union have begun to develop policies concerned with children's right to play, and to consider implications for leisure facilities and educational programmes.

What does "implication" mean in this sentence?

'The type of play we are interested in is child-initiated, spontaneous and unpredictable- but, as soon as you ask a five-year-old "to play", then you as the researcher have intervened,' explains Dr Sara Baker.

What does "spontaneous" mean in this sentence?

The type of play we are interested in is child-initiated, spontaneous and unpredictable- but, as soon as you ask a five-year-old "to play", then you as the researcher have intervened,' explains Dr Sara Baker.

What does "intervene" mean in this sentence?

'This is our ability to develop awareness of our own thinking processes - it influences how effectively we go about undertaking challenging activities.'

What does "undertaking" mean in this sentence?

In a study carried out by Baker with toddlers and young pre- schoolers, she found that children with greater self-control solved problems more quickly when exploring an unfamiliar set-up requiring scientific reasoning.

What does "toddler" mean in this sentence?

In a study carried out by Baker with toddlers and young pre- schoolers, she found that children with greater self-control solved problems more quickly when exploring an unfamiliar set-up requiring scientific reasoning.

What does "set-up" mean in this sentence?

If playful experiences do facilitate this aspect of development, say the researchers, it could be extremely significant for educational practices, because the ability to self-regulate has been shown to be a key predictor of academic performance.

What does " facilitate " mean in this sentence?

If playful experiences do facilitate this aspect of development, say the researchers, it could be extremely significant for educational practices, because the ability to self-regulate has been shown to be a key predictor of academic performance.

What does " self-regulate " mean in this sentence?

Gibson adds: 'Playful behaviour is also an important indicator of healthy social and emotional development.

What does "indicator" mean in this sentence?

I investigated how observing children at play can give us important clues about their well-being and can even be useful in the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.'

What does " well-being" mean in this sentence?

I investigated how observing children at play can give us important clues about their well-being and can even be useful in the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.

What does "diagnosis" mean in this sentence?

'Many primary school children find writing difficult, but we showed in a previous study that a playful stimulus was far more effective than an instructional one.'

What does "stimulus" mean in this sentence?

'Somehow the importance of play has been lost in recent decades. It's regarded as something trivial, or even as something negative that contrasts with "work".

What does "trivial" mean in this sentence?

Now, the landscape is very different, with hotly debated topics such as school starting age.

What does "hotly" mean in this sentence?

Minutes later, Alice has abandoned the kingdom in favour of playing schools with her younger brother. When she bosses him around as his 'teacher', she's practising how to regulate her emotions through pretence.

What does "abandoned" mean in this sentence?