Research on Value of Play

09/10/2007

The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.
Lady Bird Johnson

In one article in the Exchange book, Play — A Beginnings Workshop Book, Doris Fromberg reviews research on the value of play and spells out implications for teachers and administrators. In this article she reports…

“Cognitive development takes place during pretend play. When teachers or parents have intervened by playfully modeling, providing varied props, and raising play-related questions, young children have become more flexible planners, used more expanded language, and sustained play for longer periods of time. Researchers have found a relationship between enriched adult play intervention and children’s academic skills, as well as I.Q. with an improvement in systematic and processed-oriented problem solving. There is also evidence that the use of low-specificity toys is related to more interactive play and a longer shared play script.”

Check out our Powerful Collection of Play Resources!

We have bundled together a variety of practical resources on play and are selling them at a discounted package price. Our Play Tool Kit contains the following items:

Play – A Beginnings Workshop Book
The Power of Play: How spontaneous, imaginative activities lead to happier, healthier children by David Elkind
Exchange Article Collection #8 – Play
Plus three Out of the Box Training Kits…
— "Play and the Outdoors"
— "But They’re Only Playing"
— "Supporting Constructive Play in the Wild"

The Institute for Early Childhood Leadership & Professional Development has an advanced degree (M.Ed.) for you if you aspire to become an Administrative Leader!

Johnson & Wales University, School of Education

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.