Concludes that the dramatic play context requires children to convey meaning through explicit oral language in order to introduce and sustain play episodes. (FL)

This 16-month longitudinal study examined effects of time, classroom program, and child gender on play behaviors of preschoolers attending a formal education program or a discovery program. Analysis revealed that dramatic interactive play and transformational behavior increased, while constructive play decreased. Boys in discovery classroom…

Subjects categorized as either players who displayed make-believe in natural free-play situations or nonplayers whose behavioral repertoires did not include make-believe, were exposed to either a free-play, an imitation or a problem-solving condition and given an alternate-uses test. Free-play enhanced associative fluency among players who engaged…

Examined effects on target children's sociodramatic role play of sociodramatic script training in combination with an intervention package consisting of peer role prompting, a group-oriented reinforcement contingency, and visual feedback. Found support for use, with a minimum of teacher involvement, of the peer-mediated intervention package in…

This paper reviews research on symbolic play gaps between children with and without language impairment (LI), arguing that these gaps should not be interpreted as demonstrative of marked deficits in general representational or specific symbolic play competence of children with LI. Frequent encroachment of language into testing procedures is cited…

Examined the impact of early maternal interactive behaviors on children's symbolic play. Found that an option-promoting context in mother-infant dyads coexisted with the child's exhibition of symbolic play at 18 months and at 40 months. This context was stable between the two ages. An options-limiting interactive context at 40 months correlated…

Documented differences in the quality of play in thematic and housekeeping organizational patterns of the sociodramatic play center in a preschool classroom. Found the thematic organization resulted in higher quality sociodramatic play in which the children enacted more roles outside the home, utilized more aspects of their roles, demonstrated…

This article discusses commonalities among experts' descriptions of creative individuals, including rational thinking, high levels of emotional development, talent, and higher levels of consciousness. Maintains that creativity studies justify the development of educational creativity training programs. Asserts that teachers can promote children's…

Infants' and mothers' play was observed at 9, 12, and 18 months for deaf child--deaf mother (DD), deaf child--hearing mother (DH), and hearing child--hearing mother (HH) dyads. At 12 months, HH infants displayed more representational play than DD and DH infants. At 18 months, HH and DD infants displayed more preplanned play than DH infants. (BC)

Examines research into the various factors affecting the frequency and complexity of dramatic play. Lists and elaborates on those factors, which include the child's maturity; social and cultural settings; teacher intervention in play; children's individual differences; children's familiarity with and security in play surroundings; and presence or…

Discusses how outdoor play can be as effective as indoor play in facilitating young children's development. Offers advice on selection of toys and materials; organization of play spaces; addition of movable toys and equipment; ways to stimulate imaginative outdoor play; and playground safety. (TJQ)

Identifies the concepts and skills young children learn through play and describes ways to implement a successful play program in early-childhood settings. Includes discussions of planning for play activities, providing props and other materials, contextualizing play, assessing learning during play, and explaining the play curriculum to families…

This preliminary study assessed differences in symbolic play behavior among 20 verbal and nonverbal children with autism, ages 2.5 to 3.6 years. Results indicated significant differences in symbolic play behavior with the verbal group demonstrating a higher order level of performance. Results underscore the importance of not considering all young…

Discusses the importance of pretend play for various aspects of children's development and the difficulty for adults, especially Montessorians, in understanding such play. Presents views of leading play researchers and theorists regarding role of play in distinguishing fantasy from reality, in acting as a springboard to representational thought,…