抄録
This article investigates the play of the human child in terms of natural history. From the evolutional point of view, we find the play of the young animal in birds and mammals, which have a highly developed form of childcare. In process of childcare by parents, young animals are given the moment of "release", which makes it unnecessary for them to have serious interactions with their environment. However, in order to become smart adults, they must have interactions with their environment and learn as many things as they can. In other words, they must be given the moment of "compulsion". In the present study the author considers the play of the young animal as a behavior which solves the contradiction between the two moments, i.e., "release" and "compulsion". In the human child, this contradiction is the most serious of all animals, which fact forms the physiological basis of the child play. The author also suggests that considerations should be given to some other factors specific to human beings, such as adult play, education, historical development of human society and so forth, for the complete understanding of the play of the human child.
