Play, academics, and standards can work together with the right strategies and support from educators. Take an active role in child-directed play to guide learning. Become a strong advocate for saving play in early childhood education by empowering teachers to join play and standards, and learn how child-led, open-ended play addresses the seven domains and […]
Play is serious business. Whether it’s reenacting a favorite book (comprehension and close reading), negotiating the rules for a game (speaking and listening), or collaborating over building blocks (college and career readiness and STEM), Kristi Mraz, Alison Porcelli, and Cheryl Tyler see every day how play helps students reach standards and goals in ways that […]
Provide students with purposeful practice and fun activities that focus on detecting, manipulating, and interacting with the sounds of language. Purposeful Play for Early Childhood Phonological Awareness offers 70 lessons that are grouped according to phonological skills and include kinesthetic, visual, and aural representations. Through singing songs, engaging in role-playing games, or tossing balls of […]
Are children playing less than they used to? Are rising obesity rates linked to a decline in children’s time to play freely? These and other related questions have filled the pages of newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals for the past decade. Researchers and journalists have attributed these issues to societal changes around children’s lives and […]
For teachers, counselors and school psychologists, Play, Learn, and Enjoy! is a social-emotional learning curriculum for elementary school children that bridges self-regulation skills with social-emotional competencies. It covers a broad range of self-regulation and social skills including executive functioning (attention, working memory, and inhibition), strategic skills (time-management and planning), self-awareness, emotional regulation, decision-making, communication, and […]
This award winning book has been recognized by iParenting Media Awards as a 2008 Best Product, and is a Gold Award winner in the 2008 National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) Parenting Resources competition. Based on 30 years of clinical research, Play To Talk empowers parents with proven strategies and step-by-step instructions to help children of any […]
When trainers use games, learners win big. As a trainer interested in game design, you know that games are more effective than lectures. You’ve seen firsthand how immersive games hold learners’ interest, helping them explore new skills and experience different points of view. But how do you become the Milton Bradley of learning games? Play […]
Engage Students with Toys, Games, and Comics In Play Like a Pirate, Quinn Rollins offers practical, engaging strategies and resources that make it easy to integrate fun into your curriculum. Regardless of grade level, serious learning can be seriously fun with inspirational ideas that engage students in unforgettable ways.
Always the Cinderella of the education system, the significance of early years has been seriously under-estimated. Play is the Way brings together leading practitioners, policy-makers and academics to explain how a coherent approach to early years – centred on positive relationships and play – will not only result in better educational performance but in greatly […]
As fewer children have access to natural play areas, and as health and educational professionals increasingly realize the value of play in both physical and emotional development, this collection of essays on play provides a timely look at current trends in play theory and practice. Editors Mary Ruth Moore and Constance Sabo-Risley continue to build […]
With growing numbers of children living in poverty and standardized tests becoming increasingly important, there’s never been a better time for a volume of essays on the value of play in mental and emotional development. Mary Ruth Moore and Constance Sabo-Risley honor and build upon the work of Joe L. Frost, the father of play […]
The leading text in the field, Play at the Center of the Curriculum seamlessly combines the features of a text on play and development with the features of an early childhood curriculum text to present a comprehensive, cogent rationale for placing play at the center of a balanced curriculum. Ideal for those who want to […]
Let children experience the learning power of play. Children’s play is focused, purposeful, and full of learning. As children play, they master motor development, learn language and social skills, think creatively, and make cognitive leaps. This (un)curriculum is all about supporting child-led play, trusting children as capable and engaged learners, and forgoing packaged curriculums and […]
Play is how children explore, discover, fail, succeed, socialize, and flourish. It is a fundamental element of the human condition. It’s the key to giving schoolchildren skills they need to succeed–skills like creativity, innovation, teamwork, focus, resilience, expressiveness, empathy, concentration, and executive function. Expert organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Academy […]
Children must learn to pick themselves up, brush themselves off, and bounce back. But how do you allow for the physicality required to build resilience when you are tasked with children’s safety? This guide provides the tools and strategies for creating a culture of resilience, including families in the process, and keeping safety front-of-mind. Examine […]
This book is filled with skills, games, and activities for back-to-nature adventures and camping trips. It is great for all ages and abilities, from children to adults, and is a must-have for anyone working with scouts or youth groups. How to Play in the Woods is also a handy reference book for campers and outdoor […]
In her inspirational, well-researched book, Renee describes the kinds of learning opportunities that all parents want for their own children. Her accessible writing style makes it easy to envision the environment, teaching, and community she describes with such clarity you’ll want to get started on her ideas tomorrow.” -Jennifer Serravallo “How refreshing it is in […]
“Big body play”―the sometimes rowdy, always very physical running, rolling, climbing, tagging, jumping, grabbing, and wrestling that most children love and many adults try to shut down―can and should be an integral part of every early childhood setting. Drawing from evidence-based practice and the latest research, this book explains the multitude of benefits of big […]
Why Play Works is aimed at educators, school administrators and parents, it provides a road map for schools and parents to create playful experiences through which students learn to navigate the demands of social connection. The book features sections on: – Why Play: The importance of intentionally integrating play in day-to-day school operations-especially in this […]
Most recognize that play is good for children yet we are confused by the dangers we see in the wider environment and so often restrict children’s natural opportunities to play. As a result children’s play has gained increased awareness amongst a variety of professions working with children, many of whom have different approaches to play […]
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A) Playing, being playful, is the healthiest way to spend your time (after feeding and housing yourself).
B) The activities that evoke playful feelings are unique to each of us.
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