The games that children play are not just for fun-they often lead to important skill development. Likewise, word games are fun opportunities for parents and children to spend time together and for children to learn a lot about sounds and words. In this Family Involvement column, the authors describe 12 easy-to-implement word games that parents and…

A developmental sequence of adult-infant social play is proposed in this paper. Many adult interactions with infants take the form of early social play, although such play is often thought to originate with the onset of peer interaction. The sequence of five levels proposed in this work is based on, and approximately reverses, the Howes (1980)…

Ten games and exercises designed to help handicapped children express feelings, develop trust and cooperation, and increase their body awareness and imagination are presented. Activities are explained to have been field tested in special education classes of Project PASE (Programs in the Arts for Special Education). Following a brief introduction…

The paper considers mechanisms to increase the motivation to play in mentally retarded persons. A taxonomy of playfulness (satisfactions derived from play) is outlined, followed by discussion of its application to stimulating participation in recreational activities. (Author/DB)

Simon and Smith (MPQ; v31 n1 p265-77 Jul 1985) obtained negative findings in their replication of Smith and Dutton's (1979) lure-retrieval experiment. However, this replication failed to support the conclusion that findings seriously undermine the credibility of all previous experimental studies of play. (Author/KS)

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)

This book brings together ideas from different disciplines, mainly anthropology and psychology, to help understand the culture of adolescent risk-taking. It compares adolescent risk-taking to play, structured experience, and narrative. Several themes are developed, all of which hover around characterizing the relationship between persons and…

Article lists several theater games that help to develop the imagination. (GB)

Describes Adlerian method of play therapy. Claims Adlerian therapy represents an integration of the concepts and techniques of individual psychology into a method of using play to help troubled children. (Author/ABL)

Suggests that infant and toddler play environments should provide (1) adult-planned experiences, such as walking on a constructed trail; (2) child-directed experiences, such as sand and water play; and (3) experiences of the natural environment, such as observing and examining flowers and animals. (BC)

One hundred thirty-eight college students completed a questionnaire assessing level of sensation seeking, number of close and casual friends, Internet usage, liking certain styles of music, and genre of music listened to most often. It was found that the number of casual and close friends was positively associated with sensation seeking.…

On April 21, 2004, the Joe L. Frost Children's Play and Play Environments Research Collection was dedicated at the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Library at the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas. This brief article describes the collection and Frost's plans for the future.

Social stories have become increasingly popular for teaching appropriate behavioral skills to children with autism, yet current literature warns that little empirical evidence is available that documents the effects of this intervention. Research that does exist targets participants with mild to moderate disabilities. In this study, a special…

The purpose of this descriptive component of a larger, exploratory case study was to examine associations among lesson contexts, teacher behaviors, and adolescent physical activity over a year of physical education (PE) at one school. Middle school students (n = 206) and their PE teachers (n = 4) were observed twice-weekly across one academic…