Books

Author(s): Sue Palmer, Editor

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 […]

Author(s): Mary Ruth Moore, Constance Sabo-Risley

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 […]

Author(s): Mary Ruth Moore, Constance Sabo-Risley

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 […]

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Author(s): Brian Sutton-Smith

Play for Life: Play Theory and Play as Emotional Survival is an edited compilation that contains, among other features, the final book-length manuscript of Brian Sutton-Smith, preeminent play scholar of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The book is compiled and edited by Charles Lamar Phillips and three members of The Strong’s American Journal […]

Author(s): Doris Bergen, Doris Pronin Fromberg

In light of recent standards-based and testing movements, the issue of play in child development has taken on increased meaning for educational professionals and social scientists. This third edition of Play From Birth to Twelve offers comprehensive coverage of what we now know about play and its guiding principles, dynamics, and importance in early learning. […]

Author(s): Cindy Clark (Editor)

In an era of increasingly patient-centered healthcare, understanding how health and illness play out in social context is vital. This volume opens a unique window on the role of play in health and wellbeing in widely varied contexts, from the work of Patch Adams as a hospital clown, to an Australian facility for dementia treatment, […]

Author(s): Judith VanHoorn, Patricia Monighan Nourot, Barbara Scales, Keith Rodriquez Alward

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 […]

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Author(s): Joe L. Frost

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Author(s): Myae Han, James E. Johnson (Editors)

How do we save play in a standard-driven educational environment? This edited collection, Play and Literacy: Play & Culture Studies provides a direct answer and solutions to this question. Researchers and theorists have argued for decades that play is the best way to learn language and literacy for children. This book provides theoretical and historical […]

Author(s): Joe L. Frost, Sue C. Wortham

More than any other textbook on the market, Play and Child Development, Fourth Edition, ties play directly to child development. The authors address the full spectrum of play-related topics and seamlessly blend research, theory, and practical applications throughout this developmentally-based resource. Readers will learn about historical, theoretical, and practical approaches to promoting development through integrated […]

Author(s): Avis Ridgway, Gloria Quiñones, Liang Li (editors)

This book offers a rich collection of international research narratives that reveal the qualities and value of peer play. It presents new understandings of peer play and relationships in chapters drawn from richly varied contexts that involve sibling play, collaborative peer play, and joint play with adults. The book explores social strategies such as cooperation, […]

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Author(s): Brigid Schulte

When award-winning journalist Brigid Schulte, a harried mother of two, realized she was living a life of all work and no play, she decided to find out why she felt so overwhelmed. This book is the story of what she discovered—and of how her search for answers became a journey toward a life of less […]

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Author(s): Lisa Murphy

Discover why school readiness IS children’s play. This updated guide includes timely research and new stories that highlight how play is vital to the social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual development of children. Learn the seven things we must do with children every day and why they are so important. Use your daily observations to incorporate […]

Author(s): Roger Caillois

According to Roger Caillois, play is “an occasion of pure waste: waste of time, energy, ingenuity, skill, and often of money.” In spite of this–or because of it–play constitutes an essential element of human social and spiritual development. In this classic study, Caillois defines play as a free and voluntary activity that occurs in a […]

Author(s): Jason Runkel Sperling

Looking for that perfect summer distraction to get the kids out into the backyard? Learn how to set up a simple and inexpensive children’s mud kitchen in a day, allowing your children or grandchildren endless hours of plain and dirty backyard fun. Follow one father’s entertaining and informative attempt to get his children outside, offline, […]

Author(s): Jeff A. Johnson, Denita Dinger

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 […]

Author(s): Pasi Sahlbert, William Doyle

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 […]

Author(s): Jarrod Green

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 […]

Author(s): Robin Blankenship

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 […]

Author(s): Johan Huizinga

In Homo Ludens , the classic evaluation of play that has become a “must-read” for those in game design, Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga defines play as the central activity in flourishing societies. Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens , […]

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