Imaginative play can enhance preschoolers' oral language when the child's internal control is strenghtened, external reality is suspended, and motivation exists to become involved. The caregiver provides cues in the arrangement of the environment and selection of materials. Cues can encourage dramatic as well as sociodramatic play. (CL)

The cognitive skills required in pretend play and language were examined in two studies in which children imitated pretend-play behaviors and sentences. As hypothesized, the control of animate and inanimate components in play and language were significantly related. (Author/MP)

Describes the play environment and the play behavior of children in Venice, Italy. (Author/RH)

Demonstrates sharing of meaning among boy toddlers. The question addressed is not, What can a toddler mean? but rather, What meanings can toddlers share? The study tests several hypotheses about shared meaning and its role in sustaining toddler interactions, and proposes a "dictionary" of meanings that toddlers can share. (Author/RH)

This study is a partial replication and extension of research reported by Golomb and Cornelius in 1977. Training in the present study was significantly less effective than in the earlier research. Findings suggest experimenter and testing effects on performance. (RH)

Concludes that the movement from parallel play to group play may be more a matter of minutes that months. For the 41 children observed, who ranged in age from 32 to 42 months, parallel play often functioned in the stream of activities as a bridge to group play. (Author/RH)

The importance of play in children's cognitive development is stressed, and the roles of transformation and language in play are examined. (CL)

Ten elements comprising the basic level of play therapy with children are presented, and the "resort" model, upon which successful play therapy is based, is discussed. (MJB)

A description is given of the organization and activities of a playgroup program for young children (ages one year through three years). (JD)

Creative noncompetitive games are described. (JD)

Mime is discussed as a group recreational activity. (JD)

This paper demonstrates methodology for assessing symbolic maturity or mental representation as evidenced in symbolic play. Five female subjects (14 to 19 months at the inception of the study) were observed monthly at home in a free-play situation over one year. (Author/SB)

Comparison of gender differences in the observed play of 30 preschool children with cognitive delays found that, overall, boys engaged in more functional play and were more sophisticated when playing with a vehicle toy set whereas girls engaged in more constructive play and demonstrated greater sophistication with respect to doll toys. (Author/DB)

Provides compilation of guidelines for purchasing educational toys. Considers the value of educational toys, including their appeal and stimulation, age appropriateness, and open-endedness; the toys' construction quality, including methods of construction and manufacturer reputation; safety factors, especially potential for choking and poisoning;…