In this autobiographical journey through life-span developmental theory, the author reflects on her life as a player, embedding it in the context of Erik Erikson and Joan Erikson's stages of human development. The author builds on these basic ideas--theory, storytelling, play, and development--and defines them as simply as possible.

Responding to current debates on the place of play in schools, the authors have extensively revised their groundbreaking book. They explain how and why play is a critical part of children's development, as well as the central role adults have to promote it. This classic textbook and popular practitioner resource offers systematic descriptions and…

Presents five articles on the interactions of play and culture in early childhood education. The workshop titles are: "Play and Cultural Differences" (Cronin and Jones); "Play in a Classroom of Iu-Mien Children: (Evans); "The Culture of Play: A Personal Perspective" (Jarman); "'But They're Only Playing': Interpreting…

The traditional role for teachers in children's play was to structure it, setting rules and interrupting if things got "out of hand." However, for children ages 3 to 5, sociodramatic play is a way to invent and make familiar the rhythms and actions of everyday life. This book describes why play is a fundamentally important part of…

Asserts that it is through play with materials and relationships, invention of classification systems, and solving problems in dialogue with others that young children develop the basic skills they will need to become effective contributors to the health of a changing world. Offers suggestions for teaching children play skills by providing…

Discusses the importance of providing enough activity choices for young children during outdoor play. Defines simple, complex, and super play units. Describes the application of an equation for determining the number of available play spaces in a playground. (RJC)

Suggests becoming a master player is a critical learning task for young children. "Push-down" programs (direct teaching, work sheets, and drill), designed to give children a head start in school, fail to consider the active-learning mode in which young children are most competent. Notes that a developmentally appropriate classroom for 3- to 5-year…

Describes CHILD-PAC (Children's Hand-on Integrated Learning Discoveries--Parents as Co-Partners), a take-home learning center developed for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their parents to promote positive, interactive parent-child learning and playing. Three different CHILD-PACs designed to turn potentially difficult interaction times…

Through play children develop the basic skills needed to make choices in life and to tolerate ambiguity and the unexpected in a fast-changing world. To teach young children effective play skills, teachers must be skillful co-players and observers, not mere implementers of standardized curricula. Vignettes illustrate children's learning through…

Parents and teachers want their children to be safe and to learn the skills they will need to live successful lives in a competitive society. In a diverse and rapidly changing world where people are only an e-mail's blink away from all those strangers everywhere, then it would be safest in the long run to teach young children to "enjoy diversity."…

In this dialogue between two specialists in staff development of child caregivers, the roles of early childhood teachers and child care directors are considered. The need for teachers to observe play and the ways in which training can motivate teachers to observe play are discussed. Directors need to model observation skills for novice teachers.…

Developed as a companion volume to "The Play's the Thing," this book defines and analyzes the concept of master player based on videotaped observations of preschool children at play. An in-depth discussion reveals the multi-faceted nature of play, individual differences in both teachers' and children's styles, and the complexity of…

Presents an annotated dialogue between two teachers concerning a teacher's observations of children's play. Discusses teachers' practice of representing children's play for the children and the results of this practice. (BB)

Maintains that many early childhood educators are apt to practice nice thinking rather critical thinking when, in fact, the latter would clear their heads and inform practice. This position is supported by examples of teachers' uses of such terms as "home-school cooperation,""planning," and "curriculum." (BB)

The experiences of one non-profit day care center are used as illustrative material in this discussion of preschool teaching-learning environments. Chapter 1 introduces the volume with a brief argument stressing the importance of play in the preschool. Chapter 2 describes the problems at a non-profit day care center and presents staff dialogue…