Incorporating creative play in the writing lab or classroom is a unique way to pique students' interest and boost their imagination. Exercises varying from describing Hershey's Kisses®, to using tape recorders for discussing voice, to using magnetic poetry to practice grammar are all ways that stimulate learning through the lens of play. Play…

Compared for effectiveness were three approaches to develop cooperative play in six severely retarded (IQ 30) socially withdrawn children ages 4- to 12-years. (CL)

Article is aimed at teachers only, presenting a monthly exchange of tips, projects, ideas and resources. (Editor/RK)

Vandalism may be reduced and wholesome physical and emotional growth enhanced through creatively designed and properly supervised recreational facilities. International examples are cited. (DW)

Collected in this volume are preliminary materials related to the Belgrade-OMEP Project whose purpose is to make a record of those traditional children's games which are a part of the folk culture of various countries. The purpose of this publication is two-fold: (1) to serve as a handbook for the present collaborators on the Project in their…

Is the superhero that preschool children emulate and dramatize in their play qualitatively different from the heroes of children in the past? To answer this question, data were gathered (1) from a historical review of the literature on children's play and their heroes and (2) from a survey questionnaire completed by 100 subjects stratified to…

Data gathered by a national survey of preschool playground equipment provided comprehensive information on all aspects of the play environment for young children. This collection presents the perspectives of writers on the function of playgrounds and the nature of children's play. In adition to the introduction by Sue C. Wortham and Joe L. Frost,…

A debate about qualitative versus quantitative analysis has been waged in the scientific community for several years. A different set of parameters is suggested for this debate, and a logical transformation is outlined that makes the qualitative/quantitative distinction at the epistemological level a non-problem. While the strategy of induction…

This paper reviews theories of play and discusses the relationship between children's play and social development. The paper begins with a discussion of an educator's concern that young children in modern China have decreased the amount of their play due to pressure from the family to acquire academic skills. The review of major theories of play…

Universal and culture-specific aspects of caregiver contributions to children's emerging play activities during the one-word period were studied in research designed to meet criteria for ecological validity. The sample included seven Mexican caregiver/child pairs in a major urban setting and eight pairs in a rural setting. All caregivers came from…

A 35-day applied behavior analysis involving a repeated measure multiple-baseline design across subjects was employed to determine if there was a functional relationship between enriched sociodramatic play and three kindergarten children's language performance. The strategy of the design was to apply the same treatment in sequence across matched…

Preschool children view television on an average of 4.5 hours or more daily, more than any other age group with the exception of senior citizens. With television viewing occupying such a great proportion of the preschool child's waking hours, the influence of television on the remaining play time, and particularly that of dramatic play, is of…

Designed as a teacher and therapist training tool, this booklet demonstrates how to make several types or kinds of puppets, and how to use them in a variety of classroom situations. The first section includes instructions for the following hand puppets: simple cloth, paper mache, knitted finger, paper bag, and Muppet types. The second section…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between young children's sociometric status and their communication patterns. A total of 43 middle class children enrolled in three preschool classes were asked to select three children they liked to play with (measure of social acceptance) and three they did not like to play with (measure…

The Preschool Interest Inventory (PSII) has been developed to meet the need for an informal measure of the interests, play behaviors, and communication skills of young children between the ages of 2 and 6 years, particularly those exhibiting delays in language development. The first step in the Inventory process is the Caregiver Interview. In the…