This article presents an investigation of the constitutive aspects of meaning making, with a focus on children's play. We conceptualized this question from a cultural-historical perspective, based on which we offer examples and criteria for analyzing the dynamics of meaning making. Seven interdependent aspects of the process of meaning making are discussed: (a) exploratory motivation; (b) materiality; (c) narrativity; (d) dialogicality; (e) orchestration; (f) abbreviation; and (g) alter-regulation. Examples of these aspects and considerations about their emergence in different circumstances and types of interaction are presented.
Meaning-making; play; dialogism; interaction; language
