This research attempted to answer the question of why play is enjoyable and drew on the personal experiences of a variety of people for its conclusions. (RK)

Describes an early childhood education course project in which students participated in developing, organizing, and conducting a play group, one day a week, for two- to five-year-old children and their parents. (Author/SDH)

This article describes play activities of children from birth to age 10 from the internalist's viewpoint. (PD)

This study investigated the prediction that playful activity would increase the number of alternate uses that children would be able to give for objects which are not involved in that activity. Subjects were 36 white, middle-class preschoolers. (Author/SDH)

This paper addresses the current abandonment of children's free play--a proven, broad-based, indispensable learning experience--in favor of formal learning and instruction. Educational research has found that play is the natural learning medium of children, yet this understanding is not guiding educators' practice. This condition has caused many…

Two studies were conducted with normal preschool and retarded children to examine D. El'konin's theory that condensation of play activity occurs when social human relationships are reproduced in role play. Two types of condensation were hypothesized: reduction of repetition in a manipulation or in a small unit of sequential manipulations, and…

Creativity research has traditionally regarded the creative process as involving a full or partial regression of the ego to a more primitive state of consciousness. An alternative interpretation involves an ego-syntonic concept. This developmental model of ego-syntonic play and its role in creativity is derived from a synergistic combination of…

Parents were asked to complete an information form when they registered their children in an early childhood education center. Answers to a question on the form concerning each child's favorite play activities at home were collected and examined in terms of sex differences. The parents in this study reported the same sex difference in children's…

In Western societies, television has transformed the life, culture, and points of reference of the child. Its particular sphere of influence is the child's play culture. This play culture is not hermetic: it is very oriented toward manipulation; has a symbolic role as a representational medium; evolves along with the child; has a certain amount of…

The study describes a training program in which young children with severe and moderate handicaps were taught to generalize play responses to multiple sets of toys. A multiple probe design, replicated with four children, was used to assess the effects of generalization training within four sets of toys on generalization to untrained toys from four…

Designed primarily for use by ward personnel in residential facilities for the mentally retarded, the manual presents an overview of recreational services. Four papers introduce the importance of recreation and consider approaches for its provision: "Why Recreation?" (W. Lawler); "The Role of the Attendant in Providing Recreation for the Retarded"…

How videotape helps patients, teaches students and trains therapy staff (Author)