We greatly appreciate the astute comments on Lillard et al. (2013) and the opportunity to reply. Here we point out the importance of keeping conceptual distinctions clear regarding play, pretend play, and exploration. We also discuss methodological issues with play research. We end with speculation that if pretend play did not emerge because it…

In this essay Amy Shuffelton considers Jean-Jacques Rousseau's suspicion of imagination, which is, paradoxically, offered in the context of an imaginative construction of a child's upbringing. First, Shuffelton articulates Rousseau's reasons for opposing children's development of imagination and their engagement in the sort of imaginative play…

Vivian Gussin Paley is a teacher, writer, lecturer, and advocate for the importance of play for young children. Author of a dozen books about children learning through play, she has received numerous honors and awards including an Erickson Institute Award for Service to Children, a MacArthur Foundation Fellows award, and a John Dewey Society's…

Real play--play that is initiated and directed by children and that bubbles up from within the child rather than being imposed by adults--has largely disappeared from the landscape of childhood in the United States. There are many reasons for this, such as the long hours spent in front of screens each day or in activities organized by adults. In…

Deals with the changes in imagination that take place from childhood to adulthood. (CB)

Describes the stories told by two three-year-olds and suggests that the storytelling process is a healthy expression of children's imaginations. (DD)

The author believes that very young children are able to understand the abstract concept of peace. In her primary classroom she introduces the concept of peace to the children in a low energy environment with low lights, and soft music. When children feel at peace in their hearts, they relate peacefully to those around them. She begins with the…

A noted writer of fiction explores the role of imagination in the intellectual development of children and the need for imagination in various facets of daily lives and suggests ways of stimulating its use by children. (RBW)

Giambattista Vico, an 18th-century Neapolitan philosopher, believed that, from children, adults could learn lessons they could not teach themselves. This learning, however, is predicated on the necessity that genuine childhood be allowed to exist and that logic and abstraction are not introduced to children too soon. (JMK)

In this essay I argue that when children come to school they are confronted by an intervention in their learning, and comprehension of the world in general, that contrasts with the experiences of learning that they have generated previously to make sense of their world. Prior to schooling, where learning is directed from outside, children have…

Challenges the notion evident in discourse about children and television that fantasy and make-believe are self-evidently appropriate genres for children and that children are more imaginative than adults. Draws from social psychology and anthropology theories to argue that fantasy and imagination are basic to the way that all humans organize…

A small but significant proportion of preschoolers have imaginary companions who serve many different developmental functions. Prevalence and related demographic and environmental factors surrounding the phenomenon of imaginary companions and implications for health care professionals are discussed. (Author/DST)

Through examples of both a child's imagination and pretend play activities, demonstrates how a child's imagination is the thinking function that sets the stage for play, while actual play consists of a child's understanding and representation of reality. (HOD)

This paper, three of four on literature and the young child, investigates two more ways that a parent's simple act of reading to a child during his or her early years helps him or her grow into a successful reader, namely: reading to the child will help him or her broaden the range of experiences; and reading to the child will help him or her…

Analyzes seven characteristics of childhood play and describes way in which current computer technology for young children either allows for, or detracts from, creative play experiences. Argues that refinements are necessary before the computer can approach the effectiveness of more traditional materials in stimulating creative play experiences…