Olivia Williams

Annotated Bibliography

Elkind, D. (2008). The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally. American Journal
of Play, 1(1), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.journalofplay.org/issues/1/1/article/powerplay-learning-what-comes-naturally.
In The Power of Play, author David Elkind makes a case for self-initiated physical play free of
educational toys, computer games, and television, especially early in childhood but also
throughout young life. His theories are based on his belief that when we provide opportunities
for, and allow time for childrens self-initiated play, we are ensuring the full development of their
curiosity, their imagination, and their creativity. Through play, children create new learning
experiences that are self-created, enabling them to learn intellectual skills they could not acquire
in any other way. The article stresses that school administrators and teachers, frequently backed
by goal-oriented politicians and parents, broadcast the not-so-subtle message that these days play
is for slackers and that if kids must play, they should at least learn something while they are
doing it. This article is valuable for research because it emphasizes how vital play is for the
development of young children, but also stresses the need for children to engage in self-directed
play.
Fox, J. E. (2008). Back to Basics: Play in Early Childhood. Early Childhood News. Retrieved
from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx
ArticleID=240
Back-to-Basics: Play in Early Childhood, by Jill Englebright Fox, Ph.D., is an article directed
towards educators written to give a basic definition of play, and discuss the work of multiple

researchers and their findings with regard to the importance of play for early childhood
development. The common thread in most research cited includes how play enhances language
development, social competence, creativity, imagination, and thinking skills. Also noted is that
play is most common during childhood when children's knowledge of self, comprehension of
verbal and non-verbal communication, and understanding of the physical and social worlds are
expanding dramatically. An interesting addition to the article is listing Mildren Partens five
types of play (Onlooker behavior, Solitary independent, Parallel, Associative, and Cooperative).
The author concludes the article by outlining the classroom teachers role in facilitating play.
This article is helpful for research because it covers a broad range of topics related to play,
outlines many researchers work on play, and is directed towards educators, making it relevant to
aspiring teachers.
Frost, J. L. (1998). Neuroscience, Play, and Child Development. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED427845.pdf
In the article Neuroscience, Play, and Child Development, Joe Frost discusses research
showing the importance of play for brain growth and child development. He also encourages
families, schools, and community organizations to reevaluate their attitudes and priorities with
regard to play, physical education, recess, music, games, and art. The authors research supports
his theory that parents and caregivers need to both initiate and give structure and direction to
play, and that that structure acts as scaffolding for development". Frost asserts that early
childhood experiences exert a dramatic impact on the wiring of the neural circuits of the young
brain, and that the formation of these synapses coincides with the emergence of various
developmental abilities. The author concludes his article with advice to parents and caregivers to
ensure that toddlers have opportunities to play with other toddlers in order to promote

development of social skills, friendships, sharing and negotiating skills as well as problem
solving and concern for others. This authors article is relevant for research because he explores
the scientific aspects of brain development and their relationship to play. Frosts support of the
physiological reasons to promote play in young children gives weight to existing data stating the
benefits of play for social, psychological, and emotional reasons.
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development
and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Journal of American Academy of
Pediatrics,119 (1), 183-185. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/
content/pediatrics/119/1/182.full.pdf
In his article, The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and
Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, Kenneth R. Ginsburg points to the fact that not only is
play important for the physical, social and emotional development of children, but it is important
for parent child bonding as well. He asserts that play is a cherished part of childhood that counts
among its benefit developing a childs imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and
emotional strength. Through play, children develop mastery of their worlds by practicing adult
roles, learning to cooperate and resolve conflicts, and develop self-advocacy skills. Ginsberg
also reports that a variety of factors have reduced play in our modern world including a hurried
lifestyle, changes in family structure, increased attention to academics and enrichment activities.
His premise is that parents should not fall prey to advertising that claims children need to get
ahead by participating in multiple enrichment activities, but instead need to return to free,
unstructured play as an important part of their daily lives. This article is a valuable source
because its assertions address the importance of play, the factors that are limiting play in todays

world, and, finally, offers some solutions for returning play to a place of importance for children
today.
Gray, Peter. (2011). The Decline of Play and the Rise of Psychopathology in Children and
Adolescents. American Journal of Play, 3(4), 443-463. Retrieved from http://www.
journalofplay .org/issues/3/4/article/decline-play-and-rise-psychopathology-children-andadolescents
The Decline of Play and the Rise of Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents, by Peter
Gray, explores the damaging effects of the lack of play in the lives of young children. This
article documents that a decline in play, including active outdoor play, correlates with an increase
in mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and ADHD. It further states that play is
essential to the mental health of children. By exploring the negative effects of a lack of play in
the lives of children, this article conversely supports the premise that play is an essential factor in
childrens healthy development.
Han, M., Moore, N., Vukelich, C., & Buell, M. (2010). Does Play Make a Difference? How
Play Intervention Affects the Vocabulary Learning of At-Risk Preschoolers. American
Journal of Play, 3 (1), 82-105. Retrieved from http://www.journalofplay.org /issues /3/1/
article/does-play-make-difference-how-play-intervention-affects-vocabulary-learningrisk
Does Play Make a Difference? How Play Intervention Affects the Vocabulary Learning of AtRisk Preschoolers by Han, Moore, Vukelich and Buell, examines the effects of play on how
effectively preschoolers learn. The study divided up a group of 118 low-performing students into
two groups. One group received Explicit Instructional Vocabulary Protocol (EVIP), and the

other received a shortened EVIP plus a play session (EVIP + Play). Study results showed that the
children who received EVIP + Play showed more growth on receptive and expressive vocabulary
tests and also met the benchmark on receptive vocabulary as measured by the Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test. Though the author suggests further research on this topic, the results show a
promising correlation between play and learning. This article is valuable to research because it is
an actual study with data that proves that play has significant benefits in the cognitive
development of young children.
Lynch, M. (2015). More Play, Please: The Perspective of Kindergarten Teachers on Play in
the Classroom. American Journal of Play, 7(3), 347-370. Retrieved from http://www.
journalofplay.org/issues/7/3/article/3-more-play-please-perspective-kindergartenteachers-play-classroom
In Meghan Lynchs article, More Play, Please: The Perspective of Kindergarten Teachers on
Play in the Classroom, the author discusses that although in recent decades play has been
proven to have multiple benefits, the amount of play time is on a steady decline in kindergarten
classrooms. The authors findings are based on eighty-seven kindergarten teachers message
boards where comments were posted with regard to their views on play. Unanimously, the
teachers comments were in agreement with past studies that have shown the cognitive, social
and physical benefits of play for this age group. The majority of teachers also felt that they were
under pressure from school administrators, other teachers, and school policies to limit play in the
spirit of increasing academic time. The author argues that simply discussing the many merits of
play is not enough to convince schools to increase play time in the classroom, but that more
studies need to be completed to serve as hard evidence that play-based teaching for

kindergartners enhances learning. This article is useful for research because it specifically
focuses on kindergartners.
Pellegrini, A. (2008).The Recess Debate: A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and
Scientific Research. American Journal of Play, 1 (2), 181-191. Retrieved from http:
//www.journalofplay.org/issues/1/2/article/recess-debate-disjuncture-betweeneducational-policy-and-scientific-research
The Recess Debate: A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and Scientific Research, by
Anthony Pellegrini, explores the correlation between recess for elementary age children and
academic success. The article focuses on how both the United States and Great Britain have
been trying to establish whether recess is wasted time that children could be spending on
academics, or whether it actually benefits school performance. Pellegrini found that
administrators who were against recess were often trying to establish a hard line with regard to
focused academic time in their schools. The author points out that there is no theory or evidence
that supports the view that less recess improves academic outcomes. Those who favor recess feel
it helps kids refocus and feel refreshed to tackle the rest of their academic day, thus improving
performance. This counter-argument, that recess is good, is backed by a large body of theory and
empirical research. This article is relevant to because it underscores the theory that self-guided
play during recess is beneficial to students school performance.
Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2009). Building Blocks and Cognitive Building Blocks: Playing
to Know the World Mathematically. American Journal of Play, 1(3), 313-337. Retrieved
from http://www.journalofplay.org/issues/1/3/article/building-blocks-and-cognitivebuilding-blocks-playing-know-world-mathematically

In the article Building Blocks and Cognitive Building Blocks: Playing to Know the World
Mathematically, Julie Sarama and Douglas H. Clements discuss how play encourages the
development of mathematical skills in young children. The authors discuss research on the
prevalence of mathematics found in the unstructured play of children. This article will benefit
further research because it supports the idea that play encourages cognitive growth.
Sohn, E. (2014). How Play Promotes Your Child's Development. Ability Path. Retrieved
from http://www.abilitypath.org/health-daily-care/daily-care/playing/articles/playchild-development.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
In her article, How Play Promotes Your Childs Development, Erin Sohn focuses on children
from birth to age five, and discusses how play affects them in the areas of language skills, social
skills, physical coordination, emotional maturity and exploration skills. Language skills are
developed through pretend play, for example. Through play, social skills are enhanced as
children strengthen their ability to interact with their peers. Play involving kicking, running,
jumping and balancing enhance physical coordination. Play fosters emotional maturity by
increasing self-confidence and helping children make sense of their world. Finally, play builds
on exploration skills when children use the five senses to investigate their surroundings. This
article is relevant because it further investigates how play specifically impacted an area of
development.