Viewing computers in various forms as developmentally appropriate objects for children, this discussion provides a framework for integrating conceptions of computers and conceptions of play. Several instances are cited from the literature in which explicit analogies have been made between computers and playthings or play environments. Subsequently, computers are considered with regard to three qualities or dimensions of playthings: responsiveness, complexity, and versatility. Play in this context refers to assimilative activity characterized by intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control, and internal reality--in other words, activity that proceeds by relaxation of the effort at adaptation. From this perspective, the role of computers in children's play is discussed in terms of Piaget's classification of the structures of play as they arise ontogenetically: practice play, symbolic play, and games with rules. It is concluded that, in early childhood education settings, there is no more inherent conflict in providing young children with computers as playthings than there is in providing them with conventional playthings. (RH)