Play is extremely important for a child's development, especially in early and preschool age. Play begins in a child's spontaneous and natural way, and is of high quality when accompanied by joy, happiness and satisfaction. Through play, children explore the world around them, spontaneously develop motor and coordination skills, and cognitive skills such as attention, concentration and memory. The role of adults in play is also very important because they can help direct play towards certain goals, as well as teach children how to behave in a group. Ultimately, play is a key part of childhood and it is important that children have the opportunity to play and explore the world around them. Children's perception of play greatly differs from the perspective of adults, which we can see from the results of research. Children perceive play as an interaction with other children, and describe how they play together and have fun. Children's perspective is honest and unburdened by prejudice, while adults are more likely to draw conclusions based on previous experience. In order for a stimulating environment in kindergarten to be as rich as possible, high-quality communication between educators and children is extremely important. Educators are the initiators of children's conversations because they constantly motivate them to express their opinions without fear or judgment. The aim of this research is to determine how children understand play, which types of games children prefer to play in kindergarten, to what extent educators play with children, and when and how they engage in children's play. The research was conducted in the Đakovo Kindergarten by interviewing 20 children aged 3 to 6 years.