The Finnish educational system and curricula lay emphasis on play, collaboration and equality. Modern educational practices allow the learning environment to be enlarged from indoor classrooms to outdoor playful learning environments (PLEs). PLEs have been constructed in schoolyards in Finland with the goal of increasing learning through play in…

A study examined differences in cardiovascular (CV) reactions and hostility following non-violent play and violent video game play. Subjects were 30 male college undergraduate students. Only male subjects were used because most video games are male oriented, males frequent videogame arcades more often than females, and the gender gap in video game…

This study explored how toddlers' increasing social sophistication and increasing ability to coordinate attention between the social and object realm are reflected in toddlers' mastery play. A total of 57 toddlers (24 boys and 33 girls from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds) between the ages of 15 and 35 months participated in 7 mastery…

This document is a class presentation designed to present a history of child abuse and interventions for the beginning play therapist. Attempts to understand child behavior are traced back to their roots in the fields of mental retardation and special education as early as 1799 and followed through the mental health and child guidance movements of…

Play and language development were compared in four normally developing preschoolers and five language-delayed children (2.5-6 years old). Ss were administered a scale which assessed play, language, and drawing stages. Data were graphed and studied in terms of distribution and level of function across the three symbolic function areas (play,…

The study examined the 2-year stability and validity of playroom observations of behaviors associated with hyperactivity in 48 boys who were evaluated originally as outpatients in a child psychiatry clinic, and seen again approximately 2 years later at follow-up. At both evaluations, the boys participated in two 15-minute playroom procedures: a…

The effectiveness of the "Immigrant Resource Project" preschool program is evaluated. The preschools meet for two hours twice a week while the childrens' parents are in English as second language classes. Pupils range in age from 2 to 6 years and are drawn from a wide variety of immigrant backgrounds. The objectives are to teach English and foster…

Two studies were conducted to analyze script and event structures of preschool children's dialogues during play. To identify scripts in discourse data, the following procedural guidelines were developed and followed: (1) identify exchanges of continuous discourse, (2) delineate all conversational episodes, (3) select all episodes with pretend play…

This article includes the script for a playlet which may be used as a group counseling model or as an adjunct to individual consulting. Discussion questions are also included. (Author/HMV)

Solitary play in six kindergarten children was observed and coded for frequency and type in order to resolve iscrepancies in a Sex Birth Order interaction. Several facts concerning solitary play as indicative of independence and maturity are noted. (Author/ED)

This study investigated the issue of whether a shift occurs in infant play goals at around the beginning of the second year in terms of the organization of object-directed and caregiver-directed attention and preference for toys that require the caregiver's involvement. A total of 108 infants of 10, 15, and 29 months were observed playing with…

This documents describes a perspective on Vygotsky's theory of play and imagination that differs significantly from previous interpretations. Vygotsky proposed a developmental theory of creativity in which creative imagination develops from children's play activities into a higher mental function that can be consciously regulated through inner…

This guide provides activities, resources, and ideas for elementary physical education and classroom teachers. The activities in the basic rhythms program are divided into five classifications: movement patterns, dramatic activities, singing games, creative rhythms-dance, and rhythmic gymnastics. At the beginning of the basic rhythms sections is a…

Intended to help elementary school teachers find new and more varied ways of using drama--both for its own intrinsic value and as a school-wide teaching strategy--this publication examines the place of drama in the kindergarten through grade six curriculum. Following a rationale, the publication provides guidelines for planning a drama program and…

Claims about the relative holding-power and play-versatility of toys either low or high in amount of realistic detail, such as miniature metal cars, were tested in a solitary play environment with and without the use of props. Subjects were 36 middle-class preschool children. Results suggest that, when structure is varied within the toy prototype,…