A study investigated the nature of the social construction of play events by a group of twelve 4- and 5-year-old children and the ways in which these play constructions are maintained over an extended period of time. The 5-month study was conducted in a nursery school classroom during the children's self-selected playtime. Data collection included field notes, audio tapes, video tapes, interviews with children, parents and staff, and a survey on play at home. Analysis of the data took into account the simultaneous, multi-layered, metacommunicative nature of this child phenomenon while at the same time investigating the relationships between the key components of the play events constructed: players, actions, setting, time, objects, and language. Results revealed that young children's social play construction is consistent, ordered, and interconnected. The study demonstrated that through shared knowledge of the six components of play event enactment, the group of young children communicated and maintained stability in their play together. (TJQ)