First published in 1981, this work is based on the author’s research in the playgrounds of two Oxford schools. It describes the order amongst the apparent chaos by relating the playtime activities – the games, rhymes and taunts of five-to-ten-year-olds in first and middle schools – to children’s goals, problems and solutions. It shows how children learn and display in the playground a remarkably complex set of social skills and the study clearly demonstrates the importance of playtime for preparing a child to cope in the adult world.