Books

Author(s): Anthony D. Pellegrini Ph.D., Peter E. Nathan Ph.D. (Editors)

The role of play in human development has long been the subject of controversy. Despite being championed by many of the foremost scholars of the twentieth century, play has been dogged by underrepresentation and marginalization in literature across the scientific disciplines. The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Play marks the first attempt to exxamine […]

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Author(s): J.C. Kagan, N. Snidman

NIFP includes this book because temperament is an important component of play nature; it is one of the influences that alters play nature. Temperament varies with environment and time; according to Kagan 50% of temperament is fixed so it is not an unalterable aspect of play nature. The blend of temperament and environment shape one’s […]

Author(s): Doris Bergen, Editor

The handbook is composed of chapters by authors who discuss the important features of particular types of toys, provide information related to the developmental importance of this type of toy, discuss social and cultural issues engendered by play with such toys, and review the available research on the characteristics and potential impact on children’s developmental […]

Author(s): Susan Engel

A fascinating read for parents who wonder, simply, what is my child thinking? Why do they love collecting? Where did that idea come from? A celebration of children’s innovation and sense of wonder.”-Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better “Weaving together personal observations and experiences, findings from psychological experiments, and powerful organizing concepts, Susan Engel has […]

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Author(s): Jaak Panksepp, Kenneth L. Davis

This book presents the wealth of scientific evidence that our personality emerges from evolved primary emotions shared by all mammals. Yes, your dog feels love—and many other things too. These subcortically generated emotions bias our actions, alter our perceptions, guide our learning, provide the basis for our thoughts and memories, and become regulated over the […]

Author(s): Alison Gopnik

Caring deeply about our children is part of what makes us human. Yet the thing we call “parenting” is a surprisingly new invention. In the past thirty years, the concept of parenting and the multibillion-dollar industry surrounding it have transformed child care into obsessive, controlling, and goal-oriented labor intended to create a particular kind of […]

Author(s): Peter K. Smith, Jaipaul L. Roopnarine (Editors)

Play takes up much of the time budget of young children, and many animals, but its importance in development remains contested. This comprehensive collection brings together multidisciplinary and developmental perspectives on the forms and functions of play in animals, children in different societies, and through the lifespan. The Cambridge Handbook of Play covers the evolution […]

Author(s): Jason Runkel Sperling

In this eye opening, easy-to-follow, action-oriented book, Jason Runkel Sperling explains how to use screen-free, unstructured outdoor play and toys to increase early-age child learning opportunities and improve happiness for the whole family.You’ll learn:•How to encourage your child to enjoy active, outdoor, screen-free play •How to foster unstructured, child-led playtime •The secret to making risky […]

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Author(s): Jaak Panksepp, Lucy Bivens

What makes us happy? What makes us sad? How do we come to feel a sense of enthusiasm? What fills us with lust, anger, fear, or tenderness? Traditional behavioral and cognitive neuroscience have yet to provide satisfactory answers. The Archaeology of Mind presents an affective neuroscience approach—which takes into consideration basic mental processes, brain functions, […]

Author(s): Anthony T. DeBenedet, Lawrence J. Cohen

The Art of Roughhousing teaches parents how rough-and-tumble play can nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence, and more. Drawing from gymnastics, martial arts, ballet, traditional sports, and even animal behavior, the authors present fifty illustrated activities for children and parents to enjoy together – everything from the “Sumo Deadlift” to the “Rogue Dumbo.”

Author(s): Brian Sutton-Smith

Every child knows what it means to play, but the rest of us can merely speculate. Is it a kind of adaptation, teaching us skills, inducting us into certain communities? Is it power, pursued in games of prowess? Fate, deployed in games of chance? Daydreaming, enacted in art? Or is it just frivolity? Brian Sutton-Smith, […]

Author(s): Brian Upton

A game designer considers the experience of play, why games have rules, and the relationship of play and narrative. The impulse toward play is very ancient, not only pre-cultural but pre-human; zoologists have identified play behaviors in turtles and in chimpanzees. Games have existed since antiquity; 5,000-year-old board games have been recovered from Egyptian tombs. […]

Author(s): Jessica Millhiser, Hend Moharram

Less screen time, more imaginative play! This children’s book is meant to encourage young children to get outdoors and play, explore, learn and grow! It’s a simple ABC style book with engaging illustrations. The back pages give families the opportunity to come up with their own ideas for creative outdoor play.

Author(s): Kristi Erdal

The Adulteration of Children’s Sports explores current behavioral and physiological research about how children’s organized sport has changed; how adults’ goals and needs are at the heart of those changes; and the consequences of those changes on children’s enjoyment of sport and on their autonomy, creativity, and moral reasoning outside of sport. Adult introduction of […]

Author(s): Doris Bergen, Darrel R. Davis, Jason T. Abbitt

Technology Play and Brain Development brings together current research on play development, learning technology, and brain development. The authors first navigate the play technology and brain development interface, highlighting the interactive qualities that make up each component. Next, they survey the changes in play materials and the variations in time periods for play that have […]

Author(s): Adam Peterson

In Teach, Play, Learn! educator Adam Peterson shares his insights about the advantages of adopting play-based teaching in today’s schools. Complete with tons of activities that you can use right now, concrete examples, and a pedagogical toolkit, this book will help you transform classic toys and games—and even everyday objects—into opportunities for play-centered learning. With […]

Author(s): Jacqueline Lloyd Smith, Denise Meyerson

Jacqueline Lloyd Smith and Denise Meyerson collectively have over 50 years’ global experience in the design and delivery of incredible learning experiences for clients in the private and public sectors. They have partnered with top tier, medium size, and small corporate clients to produce events that rock. They are now opening their files to other […]

Author(s): Jessica Perich Carleton

Introducing drama to the learning experience is guaranteed to enrich a child’s development, and is an especially effective approach for children with special educational needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders. This practical handbook offers teachers an array of simple and easy-to-implement theatrical techniques that will enhance students’ learning and encourage artistic expression. The author […]

Author(s): Holly Bohart, Kathy Charner, Derry Koralek (Editors)

Play is an essential part of children’s development and learning. Play helps children learn to understand themselves and get along with others, explore their environment, investigate science, math, and literacy, learn about their communities, and much more. The articles in this collection emphasize the importance of play—from infancy through the primary grades, how to support […]

Author(s): John J. Ratey MD

A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD. Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a […]

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