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'Children's Play' explores the many facets of play and how it develops from infancy through late childhood. The authors discuss major revolutions in the way the children of today engage in play, including changes in organised youth sports children's humour, and electronic play.
Imaginative play is more vital for a child's future than many parents and educators realize. The more they are allowed to be absorbed in their play, the more fully and effectively they will later take their place in the community of adults. Drawing on her experiences as a mother and as a proponent of Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf system of education, author Heidi Britz-Crecelius emphasizes the different qualities of play that may extend through more than one phase of childhood. She focuses on natural materials and recommends specific games, toys, and art supplies that further the mobility of the mind and the powers of expression without the burden that premature schooling can place on children. In Children at Play, the author also reminds us that the human being, though bound by laws of space and time and tied to the earth, stems from eternity and belongs to a much larger community; the child's innermost being is directly related to the all-embracing world of spirit.
"Find out why play is so important, and how to support it, in this convincing review of what we know about how children grow and learn. What you find will change the way you teach or parent children from birth through their primary school years." -- from back cover.
With research breakthroughs and case histories the authors reveal how intellectual and physical play is the ultimate engine of transforming education -- the key to giving our children the well-being, happiness, and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.
Extensive empirical research has documented the value of play for both cognitive and social development. Despite the evidence, educators and policy makers are eliminating the free play periods that have long been a central part of a young child's experience in preschool and childcare. In Children's Play, leading experts in play research, child development, and early childhood education examine recent policy decisions and demonstrate the importance of play in helping children learn basic literacy skills, social awareness, and creative problem solving. Readers will also find a comprehensive summary of the developmental benefits of play, examples of how research has been applied in practice, a multicultural perspective on play, and ideas for how to play imaginative games with children.
While teachers value children's play, they often do not know how to guide that play to make it more educational. This volume reflects current research in the child development and early childhood education fields.
