An intervention with two nonverbal elementary students with severe/profound mental retardation involved training the students to use badges showing play activities and then implementing use of the badges in a free play situation with nondisabled age-appropriate peers. Increased use of play organizers, initiations, and sharing resulted. (DB)

Presents a rebuttal to a previous article on tree climbing by Dr. Susan Aronson, who suggests that tree climbing in early childhood play yards be eliminated. Details the benefits of tree climbing and includes guidelines for safe and enjoyable tree climbing. (PAM)

Discusses the roles of Piagetian and Vygotskyan theories. Reviews longitudinal naturalistic and experimental research on symbolic play's role in literacy development. Finds a limited role of adults in symbolic play and oral language production and that children's use of language to talk about language while interacting with peers is important in…

Toys play a role in children's lives worldwide and can be used effectively to teach global education. There are more commonalities than differences among toys from different nations. The origins of toys are varied, sometimes reflecting religious beliefs or political events. Toys also indicate cultural values and attitudes and social changes. (BC)

Examines the relation between toys and intentions, focusing on preschoolers. Toys reveal important cultural concerns, help develop valued attributes, and can be sensitive indicators of historical change. Toys and play allow children freedom to express personal intentionality regarding cultural intentions. (SM)

Describes how play centers can be enriched in the functional uses of print. Details some of the effects observed on the frequency and quality of literacy activities in the spontaneous play of 37 preschoolers. (MG)

Analysis of the social exchanges of 33 toddlers with developmental disabilities showed that more of the observation time was spent socially with mothers than with peers, and the number of turns per exchange was longer with mothers. However, toddlers initiated more social exchanges with peers than with mothers. Few changes were exhibited over time.…

Examined the play activities of 49 at-risk (AR) and non-at-risk (NAR) elementary school students, using the Smilansky Scale for Evaluation of Dramatic and Sociodramatic Play measure. Found that AR students displayed higher levels of hostile acting out behaviors than did NAR students, whereas the NAR group engaged in more verbal communication…

An environmental education program for children at Killerton Park (England) combines reenactment of myths and other outdoor learning activities in an effort to "re-story" the landscape and give children a sense of place in the natural world. The activities were successful in stimulating the children's creativity and sensitivity to…

Child-centered play therapy can be used effectively by elementary school counselors to aid change and growth in variety of developmental problem areas experienced by children. Suggests using child-centered play therapy with children experiencing learning disabilities, divorce, lack of self-control, depression, abuse, socially inappropriate…

Examined Head Start children's conceptions of and expectations for future schooling, determined whether participation in a Transition Demonstration could affect these, and explored how these are related to children's academic achievement. Found two major themes in conceptions of school: play and the cognitive or learning environment. Expectations…

This study compared a group of nine children (ages 3 to 8) with congenital blindness and an autism-like syndrome with nine sighted children. Children with autism had more severe abnormalities in terms of their relationships with people and emotional expressions, and were more impaired in the area of pretend play. (CR)

A study assessed the relationship between play and adaptive behavior among 13 preschool children with developmental disabilities. Children were assessed every six months over a three-year period. While adaptive behavior increased by almost one standard deviation, appropriate play showed little overall change over the three-year period. (Author/CR)

Discusses play in children with severe and profound disabilities. The focus is on toys and play material and the role of adults, such as parents, caregivers, and teachers. Theoretical aspects of children's play are also briefly described. (Author/CR)

Analyzes observations of primary students in a small Interactive Science Centre using a model of play, practice, and problem solving derived from a range of literature. Identifies features of the creative phase of the activities. Contains 31 references. (DDR)