Discusses typical playground hazards, environmental factors affecting safety in play areas, playground safety guidelines and standards established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Society of Testing Materials, and playground surfacing and equipment. Offers suggestions for reducing the number and severity of playground…

Social toys and isolate toys were presented to 24 children (ages 3-5). The older children displayed more social interactions in the social toy condition than did other ages. Disabled subjects displayed more social interactions in the social toy condition than isolate toy condition. Nondisabled subjects had more social interactions in both toy…

Investigates intimate play in college students' same-sex friendships and opposite-sex romantic relationships. Derives a typology of eight play forms, and finds playfulness a strong correlate of relationship closeness. Finds differences among the eight play forms on the functions of indexing intimacy, lessening interpersonal risk, distancing self…

Children with and without imaginary companions (ICs) were asked to describe the IC or a real friend. Seven months later, children's descriptions of ICs were as stable as their descriptions of real friends. Children with and without ICs did not differ in their ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. (BC)

In one task, preschoolers pretended to use common objects. Three- and four-year olds used gestures in which body parts represented the objects. Five-year olds used gestures that involved imaginary objects. In a second task, preschoolers were asked to imitate gestures modeled by the experimenter. Three-year olds could not imitate imaginary object…

Caregivers can help children develop math skills by encouraging children's curiosity, providing an environment for exploration, engaging children in problem solving, and stimulating math-related discussions. Skills that support children's understanding of math include recognizing patterns; comparing and ordering; building spatial relationships;…

Notes that the role of children's play in learning is of primary importance, and discusses the impact of technology on play and as play. Suggests that the opportunity for learning and play in technological environments should be explored to provide young children an educational enhancement and to maintain contact with the popular culture of young…

Explains a classroom experiment to create a folk story about the trickster, a folklore metaphor, through dramatic role playing, improvisation, and imaginative play. Describes the activities used, including details of the students' dramatic role playing and the use of "gibberish" as language. Discusses the methods used for creation of a…

Presents an evolutionary model of children's play, noting that an evolutionary approach to children's play is virtually unknown in educational studies. Maintains that there is some urgency in stressing the contribution biological sciences can make to the study of early development, because an enormous amount of relevant research has been ignored…

Evaluates the extent to which Smith's work adds to the theoretical and evidentiary basis for the role of playgrounds in children's education and development. Finds the basic construct of "risk" as presented in the book to be unfocused, and suggests that to make inferences from the work about the value of risk for children is premature. (HTH)

Offers suggestions for providing opportunities for play that moves the spirit as well as the body. Describes cultural influences on play and the role of competition. Focuses on ways teachers can create and experience play that is physically and emotionally safe, challenging, inclusive, innovative, and fun. Includes descriptions of specific games…

A study examined reliability and validity of the Test of Playfulness (ToP) with 25 children who have physical disabilities but no cognitive limitations, comparing their scores with those of able-bodied peers and examining patterns of difference in test items between groups. The mean ToP scores of the two groups did not differ. (Contains 33…

Tells how caregivers planning summertime theme-oriented special events for children can build enthusiasm, encourage cooperation, and provide fun activities. Presents four themes: (1) "Beach Blast"; (2) "Splash Day"; (3) "Crazy Carnival"; and (4) "Balloon Blowout." Describes several activities in each…

Examined the impact of fathers giving massages to their infants, ages 3 to 14 months, for 15 minutes prior to their daily bedtime for 1 month. Found that fathers who had massaged their infants were more expressive and showed more enjoyment and more warmth during floor-play interactions with their infants than did fathers in the wait-list control…

A "flow chart day" is a block of uninterrupted time during which a group participates in a series of preplanned, possible activities in arbitrary order to promote group unity and a sense of being in the moment. Instructions for coordinating the experience, suggestions for group activities, and a "flow chart" are included. (SV)