Children have a natural inclination to play and imagine themselves as characters. Research has supported theories that connect this pretend play and related theatrical play to the development of children's social and emotional skills, but the author contends we need further, more rigorous research on whether such play directly relates to such…

When children play, they often create a mess, but what a beautiful mess it is! "Creating a Beautiful Mess" describes the ten most important play experiences all children enjoy and how these experiences support learning, creativity, and social connections. These broad categories of play include building with blocks, pretending and make…

This article provides practitioners with a guide to (1) understand the developmental emergence of play skills in young children to inform developmentally appropriate instructional decisions (e.g., toy choices); (2) set up the play space to support social play; and (3) use key strategies from an evidence-based intervention for young children with…

Environment is an essential area of attention for practitioners who support young children with disabilities and their families. Decisions about the environment impact the quality of care and education for young children with disabilities showing measurable influence on expected outcomes. Environment impacts true access, quality participation, and…

Education has been progressing at a rapid pace ever since educators have been able to harness the power of mobile technology. Open-access learning techniques provide more students with the opportunity to engage in educational opportunities that may have been previously restricted. "Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning…

Forty-eight middle-class mothers answered questionnaires about their 11-through 18-month-old infants' typical television watching and interest, the frequency and duration of their independent play with toys and dyadic play with and without toys, and whether the television was typically on or not on in the room at the time. Mothers reported that…

Discusses factors to consider in selecting toys for hospital use and for meeting individual needs (considering age, emotional needs, separation anxiety, fear, and language barriers). Also discusses cultural differences, the special role of medical play (and medical play materials), and reactions to medical events. (JN)

Toys can be incorporated into health education classes in order to make the health lessons more meaningful and stimulating. (MM)

Science is a subject that offers itself to a variety of instructional modes. Many educators have suggested that teachers need to make science more real and interesting for students. This activity is a Christmas play that allows students (grades K-6) to celebrate both the holiday season and the wonders of science. While participating in the play,…

Guidelines for selecting electronic audio/video toys and games for children with handicaps are discussed, and information on 13 games (such as "Simon" and "Merlin") is provided. (CL)

How to make a kite. (SJL)

The article identifies eight typical play problems of severely handicapped children, and describes several instructional strategies for each problem as possible solutions for teachers and parents in overcoming these difficulties. (Author/DLS)

The book describes techniques for helping nonspeaking individuals to communicate. The first section focuses on equipment, presenting information on materials and instructions for constructing such equipment as communication boards for children who need a looking response; boards or trays for children with motor control problems; brief-case-style…

This collection of play sheets for parents and early intervention personnel was developed by the "Let's Play! Project," a 3-year federally supported project that worked to promote play in infants and toddlers with disabilities through the use of "low-tech" assistive technology. Each single page guide provides guidance to…