Play sessions of two Mexican children (one five and one eight years old) with English-speaking friends were recorded and the use of language play was examined. Language play is viewed as a non-literal, rule-bound use of language that children engage in for its own sake, either cooperatively or competitively. Practice opportunities and children's intense feelings in language play may contribute to the acquisition of a second language. The amount of repetition and the slight modifications on words and sounds that children make could give them phonological and syntactic practice. (Author/JB)