The background of our book on adults in play with children originated from a combined research and development project exploring the relationship between teaching (and in a wider sense education) and play in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in Sweden. The project aimed at studying empirically and elaborate theoretically how teaching (and education) in Swedish preschool could be inclusive of play as a central mode for engaging children in mutual activities. This research topic emerged against societal changes where the national curriculum and the school law for the first time had included ‘teaching’ and ‘education’ also for preschool (i.e., the institution caring for the education and care for the 1–5-year-olds). This institution has a long tradition of a holistic approach, often referred to as educare. This approach integrates education and care, organizing for children’s learning and development through theme-work and where play holds a central role. Interesting to note is that the word ‘education’ originally emerged from the word ‘educare’ “that unfolds into two different meanings: dúcere, which means to take, guide, lead someone somewhere, and educare, which is linked to the sense of nurturing, raising (a child), and making (someone) grow” (Neves-Pereira (2022, p. 1103), italics in original). Hence, conceptually, education’ stems from and was differentiated out from a more holistic conception that encompasses what is today referred to as ‘education’ and ‘care’. While much thinking about ECEC still maintains a distinction between what these two words refer to, in ECEC the original unity of educare is still nurtured. Harmonizing with this original conception, as shown by the contributions to the present volume, playing together with children—responsively and responsibly (Pramling, 2022)—can contribute to such educare where children are simultaneously part of education and cared for.