SUNY series, Children's Play in Society – serie

This book provides the latest research and theory in the area of children's play with their parents. It includes discussions of the basic processes involved in parent-child play, parent-child play in atypical populations of children, and parent-child play in cross-cultural perspective.An opening section on basic processes provides a general background on the mechanisms involved in play and provides a foundation for the rest of the book. The section on atypical populations focuses on parent-child play among clinical populations, including Down syndrome children, premature children, hyperactive children, and economically distressed families and families with depressed parents. It expands the context of the populations' data described in the first section and provides some additional insight into mechanisms. Finally, the book describes some of the enormous cross-cultural variations in play behavior.

How do children play in different kinds of child care settings? How do child care environments influence their play? How do special-needs children play in integrated and in segregated child care settings? How do adults influence play in child care environments? And what are the long term effects of children's play in child care? These are among the questions addressed by the psychologists and educators who have contributed to this book.Researchers will find Children's Play in Child Care Settings to be a valuable review of current theory and research in this area. Practitioners will better understand the ways in which early childhood environments and early childhood educators can facilitate the play of young children in child care settings. And administrators will be able to draw upon the book in designing and implementing early childhood programs for special needs and non-special needs children.

This book illuminates play as a universal and culture-specific activity. It provides needed information about the behavior of children in diverse cultural contexts as well as about the play of children in unassimilated cultural or subcultural contexts. It offers readers the opportunity to develop greater sensitivity to and better understanding of the important cultural differences that confront early childhood teachers and teacher educators.

Play has been presented as the ideal intervention for almost every conceivable kind of problem experienced by children: emotional problems, attention disorders, learning difficulties, and social isolation. In this ground-breaking book, leading play theorists, researchers, and practitioners present their opinions and research results about the influence of play and of special play programs on different aspects of child development.The first section explores why play therapy is used and what play's specific role is in the classical play therapy approach. The second part is devoted to experimental play programs for different types of children with special needs. In the last section, the effects of modern play approaches in primary schools are discussed as well as the influence of these play interventions on cognitive and social skills. This is a book for practitioners and theorists in the field of play, who are not just uncritical consumers or idealizers of play, but who are concerned in searching for the real value of play in various therapeutic and educational settings.

Looks at the impact of play on child development.This multidimensional book looks at the current status of play theory across the disciplines, literally from anthropology to zoology. The authors examine play phenomena from four perspectives, Play as Progress; Play as Power, Play as Fantasy; and Play as Self. The volume is concluded with a challenge for future study by Brian Sutton-Smith.With the wealth of information gathered here, this book will serve as an invaluable reference tool, textbook, and source of inspiration for all those interested in the fascinating study of children's play.

The Collaborative Construction of Pretend explores the origins and development of social pretend play in children. It begins with the infant's first attempts to play pretend with an adult; discusses the beginnings of toddler pretend with peers; and investigates the fully developed social play of preschool and school age children. The author argues that social pretend play can fulfill several different developmental functions and that these functions change with development. Each of these functions are rooted in the individual development of the child and in the social context. Thus the book looks at developmental progressions not only in the forms of social pretend play but in the meaning of the play to the child.

This book focuses on key issues and current research evidence of links between children's behavior in outdoor play environments and children's development. Specific attention is given to ways that outdoor play environments are extensions of other development settings, like the classroom or family. Since most work up to this point has focused on development in indoor classroom settings or in other developmental contexts, this book makes an important contribution.

This book focuses on key issues and current research evidence of links between children's behavior in outdoor play environments and children's development. Specific attention is given to ways that outdoor play environments are extensions of other development settings, like the classroom or family. Since most work up to this point has focused on development in indoor classroom settings or in other developmental contexts, this book makes an important contribution.

Reveals how young children's pretend play emerges as a deeply social and culturally shaped activity, shaped through everyday interactions with caregivers.How do children learn to pretend—and why is it never just child's play? In Pretending at Home, Wendy L. Haight and Peggy J. Miller look at the development of pretend play in young children, demonstrating that it is fundamentally a social and cultural activity rather than a solitary pastime.Through detailed, long-term observations of nine children and their mothers, Pretending at Home reveals how everyday interactions shape the emergence, structure, and functions of pretend play. The authors explore the interpersonal dynamics, social rules, and physical environments that influence how children and caregivers engage in imaginative activity, offering new insights into early childhood development.Richly illustrated with portraits of children at play and backed by meticulous analysis, Pretending at Home challenges conventional notions about childhood imagination and shows how pretend play fosters social understanding, creativity, and learning within everyday life. Essential reading for researchers, students, and practitioners in child development, psychology, and education, Haight and Miller open a window into the intimate, formative world of early pretend play.

How do children play in different kinds of child care settings? How do child care environments influence their play? How do special-needs children play in integrated and in segregated child care settings? How do adults influence play in child care environments? And what are the long term effects of children's play in child care? These are among the questions addressed by the psychologists and educators who have contributed to this book.Researchers will find Children's Play in Child Care Settings to be a valuable review of current theory and research in this area. Practitioners will better understand the ways in which early childhood environments and early childhood educators can facilitate the play of young children in child care settings. And administrators will be able to draw upon the book in designing and implementing early childhood programs for special needs and non-special needs children.

Play has been presented as the ideal intervention for almost every conceivable kind of problem experienced by children: emotional problems, attention disorders, learning difficulties, and social isolation. In this ground-breaking book, leading play theorists, researchers, and practitioners present their opinions and research results about the influence of play and of special play programs on different aspects of child development.The first section explores why play therapy is used and what play's specific role is in the classical play therapy approach. The second part is devoted to experimental play programs for different types of children with special needs. In the last section, the effects of modern play approaches in primary schools are discussed as well as the influence of these play interventions on cognitive and social skills. This is a book for practitioners and theorists in the field of play, who are not just uncritical consumers or idealizers of play, but who are concerned in searching for the real value of play in various therapeutic and educational settings.

The recess period represents a unique part of the school day. It is one of the few times when children can interact with their peers on their own terms with minimal adult intervention. Consequently, it represents one of the few places in primary and middle schools to observe spontaneous peer interaction. School Recess and Playground Behavior offers a programmatic examination of a neglected aspect of children's behavior and informs related literatures such as the educational, social-developmental, and cognitive-developmental literatures.Dr. Pellegrini goes well beyond what has been done in the past by systematically pursuing an underlying theme that revolves around the educational significance of recess periods. Due to the relatively new interest in understanding the developmental significance of playground experiences, most past work has been topical in nature. By using a theme, the author has taken the next logical step in bringing coherence to this line of inquiry. The result is a readable and coherent volume that clearly demonstrates the value of recess periods in enhancing children's cognitive and social/emotional development.

The recess period represents a unique part of the school day. It is one of the few times when children can interact with their peers on their own terms with minimal adult intervention. Consequently, it represents one of the few places in primary and middle schools to observe spontaneous peer interaction. School Recess and Playground Behavior offers a programmatic examination of a neglected aspect of children's behavior and informs related literatures such as the educational, social-developmental, and cognitive-developmental literatures.Dr. Pellegrini goes well beyond what has been done in the past by systematically pursuing an underlying theme that revolves around the educational significance of recess periods. Due to the relatively new interest in understanding the developmental significance of playground experiences, most past work has been topical in nature. By using a theme, the author has taken the next logical step in bringing coherence to this line of inquiry. The result is a readable and coherent volume that clearly demonstrates the value of recess periods in enhancing children's cognitive and social/emotional development.