The need is present for children to "unlearn" to play in a competitive and unsupportive environment and to return to natural and cooperative ways of playing. The advantage of a noncompetitive play structure is that it provides ground where players practice interacting and speaking supportively and appreciatively to each other. Players are then…

Attempts to determine whether prosocial acts of cooperation and friendliness by a black or a white adolescent model influence the play of younger black and white elementary school boys. (Author)

An effective American History-English course, emphasizing acting, interviewing, and writing skills, is described. (JH)

Role playing in language teaching uses language as a means of communication, treats language as part of a larger behavioral unit and places language in a situational context. Levels of role performance include functional, actional, acquired, and ascribed; levels of role adoption are imitation and internalization. (CHK)

Examined are theories and research concerned with the development of play behaviors in mentally retarded children and adolescents. (DB)

Incorporating creative play in the writing lab or classroom is a unique way to pique students' interest and boost their imagination. Exercises varying from describing Hershey's Kisses®, to using tape recorders for discussing voice, to using magnetic poetry to practice grammar are all ways that stimulate learning through the lens of play. Play…

Compared for effectiveness were three approaches to develop cooperative play in six severely retarded (IQ 30) socially withdrawn children ages 4- to 12-years. (CL)

Article is aimed at teachers only, presenting a monthly exchange of tips, projects, ideas and resources. (Editor/RK)

Vandalism may be reduced and wholesome physical and emotional growth enhanced through creatively designed and properly supervised recreational facilities. International examples are cited. (DW)

Collected in this volume are preliminary materials related to the Belgrade-OMEP Project whose purpose is to make a record of those traditional children's games which are a part of the folk culture of various countries. The purpose of this publication is two-fold: (1) to serve as a handbook for the present collaborators on the Project in their…

Is the superhero that preschool children emulate and dramatize in their play qualitatively different from the heroes of children in the past? To answer this question, data were gathered (1) from a historical review of the literature on children's play and their heroes and (2) from a survey questionnaire completed by 100 subjects stratified to…

Data gathered by a national survey of preschool playground equipment provided comprehensive information on all aspects of the play environment for young children. This collection presents the perspectives of writers on the function of playgrounds and the nature of children's play. In adition to the introduction by Sue C. Wortham and Joe L. Frost,…

A debate about qualitative versus quantitative analysis has been waged in the scientific community for several years. A different set of parameters is suggested for this debate, and a logical transformation is outlined that makes the qualitative/quantitative distinction at the epistemological level a non-problem. While the strategy of induction…

This paper reviews theories of play and discusses the relationship between children's play and social development. The paper begins with a discussion of an educator's concern that young children in modern China have decreased the amount of their play due to pressure from the family to acquire academic skills. The review of major theories of play…