What should we call play? Teachers’ discursive negotiation of play’s legitimacy in schools

Although play is widely recognised as important for children’s learning, wellbeing, and development, it often occupies an uncertain place in formal schooling. Existing research has largely focused on the benefits, barriers, and provision of play, with less attention to the terminology through which play is framed and legitimised. This article examines how teachers across diverse international contexts use, adapt, and resist terminology for play and recess in schools. Drawing on qualitative responses from 135 in-service teachers across 25 countries, the paper analyses teachers’ terminology choices and the rationales underpinning those choices. Guided by Framing Theory, the analysis generated four themes: rebranding play for institutional legitimacy, resisting relabelling to protect authenticity, competing semantic pathways of legitimisation, and terminology as audience-oriented professional strategy. The article argues that play in schools is negotiated not only through policy and provision, but also through language.