additional resources:
toys & play
WEBSITES
- A Year of Play by Zero to Three www.zerotothree.org
Seasonal activities that promote your child's development all through the year. - Alliance for Childhood www.allianceforchildhood.org
Prepares materials and advocates for regaining childhood, including play. - Defending the Early Years (DEY) www.deyproject.org. Rallying educators to speak out on current policies that affect the education of young children.
- KaBOOM! http://kaboom.org/
- National Institute for Play http://nifplay.org/
ELECTRONIC ARTICLES
- Almon, Joan. (2013). Adventure: The Value of Risk in Children’s Play. www.createspace.com/4403666
- Almon, Joan and Miller, Edward. (2011) The Crisis in Early Education: A Research-Based Case for More Play and Less Pressure. http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/crisis_in_early_ed.pdf
- Almon, Joan. It’s Playtime: The Value of Play in Early Education, and How to Get Teachers on Board. Principal Magazine, published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, September/October 2013. www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/Almon_Playtime.pdf
- Berman, J. (2011). 10 Reason Play Makes Babies Smarter. CNN Health. Retrieved from www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/31/play.babies.smarter.parenting/index.html?hpt=C2
- Bodrova, E. & Leong, D. (2003). Do Play and Foundational Skills Need to Compete for the Teacher’s Attention in an Early Childhood Classroom? NAEYC. Retrieved from www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200305/Chopsticks_Bodrova.pdf
- Bronson, P. & Merryman, A. (2010). The Creativity Crisis. Newsweek. Retrieved from www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
- Elkind, D. Learning Through Play. Community Playthings. Retrieved from www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/valueofplay/learningthroughplay.html
- Elkind, D., Brown, S., Almon, J., Miller, E., et al. (2010). The Wisdom of Play: How Children Learn to Make Sense of the World. Community Playthings. Retrieved from www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/RoomPlanning/WisdomOfPlay.pdf
- Ginsburg, K. (2007). The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Pediatrics, 182-191. Retrieved from http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;119/1/182
- Jarrett, Olga S. (2013) A Research-Based Case for Recess. US Play Coalition, in collaboration with Alliance for Childhood and IPA. www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/Recess_online.pdf
- Kohn, D. (2015) Let the Kids Learn through Play. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/opinion/sunday/let-the-kids-learn-through-play.html
- Miller, E. & Almon, J. (2009). Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. Alliance for Childhood. Retrieved from www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/kindergarten_report.pdf
- Rosen, H. (2014) The Overprotected Kid. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/.
- Strout, H. (2011). Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum. The New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html
- Vance, Erik. (2018) Sorry, Mom and Dad, Toys Cannot Supercharge Your Baby. Scientific American.
- Walker, T. (2015) The Joyful, Illiterate Kindergartners of Finland. The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/the-joyful-illiterate-kindergartners-of-finland/408325/
- Wenner, M. (2009). Serious Need for Play. Scientific American Mind, 23-29. Retrieved from www.melindawenner.com/Clips_files/MiQ109Wenn2p.pdf
BOOKS
- Almon, Joan, ed. Playing It Up with Loose Parts, Playpods, and Adventure Playgrounds, Alliance for Childhood, 2017.
- Carlsson-Paige, Nancy. Taking Back Childhood: A Proven Roadmap for Raising Confident, Creative, Compassionate Kids. Penguin Group, 2008.
- Christakis, Erika. The Importance of Being Little. Penguin Books, 2016.
- Dyson, Anne Haas. Writing Superheroes: Contemporary Childhood, Popular Culture, and Classroom Literacy. New York: Teachers College Press, 1997.
- Filucci, Sarah. Perfect Play Date: How to Set Rules Without Looking Like a Control Freak. Common Sense Media, 2012.
- Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick, Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy, and Eyer, Diane. Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn--and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less. New York: Rodale Books, 2004.
- Healy, Jane. Your Child's Growing Mind : Brain Development and Learning From Birth to Adolescence. Simon & Schuster, 1999.
- Hoffman, Eric. Magic Capes, Amazing Powers : Transforming Superhero Play in the Classroom. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2004.
- Levin, D. & Carlsson-Paige, N. The War Play Dilemma: What Every Parent and Teacher Should Know. New York: Teachers College, 2006.
- Paley, Vivian Gussin. A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.
- Paley, Vivian Gussin. You Can’t Say You Can’t Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993.
- Zigler, Edward, Singer, Dorothy G., and Bishop-Josef, Sandra J. Children’s Play: The Roots of Reading. Washington, DC: Zero to Three, 2004.
VIDEOS AND FILMS
- "Play Again: What are the Consequences of a Childhood Removed from Nature?" Documentary. http://playagainfilm.com/film-synopsis/featured-youth-experts/
- "See How They Play." This 35 minute film explores Magda Gerber's Educaring Approach to play for infants and toddlers, suggesting that even very young children need time to play and explore. Available on YouTube and as a DVD from Resources for Infant Educarers®.
- "Where Do The Children Play?" Documentary. https://www.press.umich.edu/360473/where_do_the_children_play
