Play is a fundamental right of all children and critical for wellbeing and development. Indeed, play is widely recognised as central to children’s educational experiences and a valuable medium for supporting the inclusion of all learners. This is important for autistic children given reported challenges surrounding their inclusive educational experiences. Therefore, initial investigations of this doctoral research examined the potential of play as a key context in supporting autistic children in education. This involved a systematic review of play-based interventions in supporting the social communication skills of autistic children across educational contexts. However, this study called for a consistent and coherent understanding of play to inform future empirical investigations surrounding the role of play in children’s lives, learning and development. Therefore, subsequent investigations examined a child-centred understanding of play based on a scoping review of the literature on children’s perspectives of play, co-constructed with 49 children (aged 5 to 11 years). In response to identified gaps surrounding the limited research on children’s perspectives on play, subsequent consultations were conducted with autistic and non-autistic children (aged 5 to 13 years) across mainstream (n=68) and Autism classes (n=19). A range of participatory-based methods were used to elicit children’s views of what play is and why it is important alongside how researchers should consult with children on play. Across these investigations, children consistently highlighted the significance of within-child qualities in play including fun and enjoyment and autonomy and agency. Further, children emphasised meaningful social connections in play including the importance of adults as valuable play partners. This research extends our understanding of play from the perspectives of the players themselves and highlights characteristics that must be recognised by researchers and educators in understanding play. This has important implications in upholding children’s right to play and in providing quality and authentic play experiences in education.