The Value of Play: Articles

The Value of Play: Resources

The Genius of Play Jenkinson, Sally: When children play, they become creators, dreamers and artists. Sticks become wands, swords, dolls or snakes. Children move like quick fire from the fantastic to the everyday, when free to express the genius of play. The Genius of Play addresses what play is, why it matters, and how modern life endangers children's play. Here is an outspoken Children's Play Charter for parents and teachers, which celebrates the playful spirit of childhood.

Pathways to Play Heidemann, Sandra and Hewitt, Deborah: "Pathways to Play provides a wealth of practical suggestions for promoting young children’s play and social skills. It sharpens caregivers' observational skills with a handy 'Play Checklist' and offers realistic vignettes and specific support strategies to insure ready application in any early childhood program." - Stefi Rubin, Ph.D., associate professor, Wheelock College Graduate School

You Can't Say You Can't Play Paley, Vivian Gussin: In this brief, ethereal and tender account of social relations among children, Paley--a kindergarten teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, a MacArthur grant recipient and author--explores how to keep students from being ignored by their classmates. She asked students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade to debate the proposition "You Can't Say You Can't Play." – Publishers Weekly

Children’s Play; The Roots of Reading Zigler, Edward; Singer, Dorothy G.; Bishop-Josef, Sandra J. (Editors): A collection of essays providing the reader with summaries of contemporary and extensive empirical research into the value of play for both cognitive and social development…The cumulative effect of the contributions is to underscore the importance of play in enabling children to learn basic literacy skills, achieve social awareness, and in developing and implementing creative problem solving skills. – Midwest Book Review

Play and Early Childhood Development Johnson, James E.; Christie, James F.; Yawkey, Thomas D.: “This book provides very comprehensive coverage of topics related to children’s play. It includes information that is both timely and of interest to teachers. The many concrete examples set it apart from other publications.” – Martha Taylor Dever, Utah State University

The Nature of Children’s Play David Fernie: In play, children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of the physical world, and their ability to communicate with peers and adults. This digest discusses children's play and its relationship to developmental growth from infancy to middle childhood. The digest also suggests ways in which educators and other adults can support children's play.

The Value of Play: Why Kids Just Need to Be Kids Rae Pica: “Isn’t it ironic that a country whose constitution allows for the pursuit of happiness now feels a collective guilt about the very idea of anything fun? How did this happen? When did we begin placing so much priority on productivity and so little on leisure or on having a good time? Even given the Puritan work ethic, life in America has become so unbalanced that one side of the seesaw is pretty much grounded.” - Excerpt

Playing for Keeps: Playing for Keeps is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving outcomes and the quality of life for all children by promoting healthy, constructive play. A great way to get connected with other people and organizations who want to make “play” a mainstay of early childhood education.

Play Matters.org: Play Matters.org is a non-profit corporation dedicated to enhancing the role of play in the lives of young children. Founded in 2003 in recognition of the life’s work of Docia Zavitkovsky, a long time advocate for children, the purpose of Play Matters is to stimulate projects, which encourage and nurture play in the lives of children birth through 8. At the core of Play Matters is faith in the transformative process of learning, and appreciation for the vital and integrative role of play in the lives of children.

International Play Association: IPA is an international non-governmental organization founded in Denmark in 1961. It is interdisciplinary and embraces in membership persons of all professions working for or with children. Its purpose is to protect, preserve and promote the child's right to play as a fundamental human right.

Alliance for Childhood: The Alliance for Childhood promotes policies and practices that support children’s healthy development, love of learning, and joy in living. Our public education campaigns bring to light both the promise and the vulnerability of childhood. We act for the sake of the children themselves and for a more just, democratic, and ecologically responsible future.