Childs Play

How Having Fun Turns Kids Into Adults

Copyright 2004 Learning Seed

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Chicago, IL 60661
800.634.4941
info@learningseed.com
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Childs Play

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Childs Play
How Having Fun Turns Kids Into Adults
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Copyright 2004 Learning Seed.
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This Teaching Guide
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Chicago, IL 60661
P 800.634.4941
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Childs Play

Page ii of 16

Childs Play
How Having Fun Turns Kids Into Adults

Table of Contents
The Program.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
The Beginning Of Play: Exploring Objects And Movement............................................................................................................ 2
Thinking, Feeling, Creating ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Imagination And Cooperation................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Review .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Interactive Elements....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Questions For Discussion ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Suggested Activities................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Evaluation/Testing.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Fill-In-The-Blank ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Fill-In-The-Blank Answer Key..................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Multiple Choice Worksheet..................................................................................................................................................................10
Multiple Choice Worksheet Answer Key ...........................................................................................................................................10
Quiz.............................................................................................................................................................................................................11
Quiz Answer Key ......................................................................................................................................................................................13
Additional Information ................................................................................................................................................................................14
Age-Appropriate Toys............................................................................................................................................................................14
Glossary......................................................................................................................................................................................................15
For More Information..........................................................................................................................................................................16

Childs Play

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The Program
Summary
Children make no distinction between play and work. Play is how children try out roles, test limits, and develop basic
physical and mental skills. Children play their way into adulthood, and the valuable lessons they learn through fun and
games prepares them to become adults. Play is fun and free, yet it is the engine that drives child development. There
are many different kinds of play, including practice, parallel, cooperative, sensory, creative, and symbolic play, and all of
these teach children vital lessons about the world and themselves. Understanding play is central to comprehending how
your child learns and grows.
Key points:

Learn what play is and why kids spend so much time doing it.
Discover how play develops during infancy.
Understand the role of fun and play in personal growth.
Learn the value of different kinds of playactive, manipulative, sensory, creative, dramatic, and cooperative.
Understand how parents and caregivers can enrich play and the true meaning of educational play.
Learn how toys can aid development and discover what kind of toys are best for helping children learn and
grow.

Childs Play

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The Beginning Of Play: Exploring Objects And Movement

What Is Play?
Childhood is a time for carefree fun and games. Whether running and jumping, pretending, building, or playing a board
game, children are always engaged in some kind of play. But play is more than just funits the most important thing a
child can do. Through play, children learn many of the basic skills and concepts theyll need in adulthood. A five-yearolds mind is a veritable encyclopedia filled with knowledge about common objects, what they look and feel like, and
what they can do. This knowledge is gained hands-on through play. As children play themselves into adulthood, they
learn cause and effect, relationships, feelings, language, and even basic physics and symbolic thinking. We think of
learning coming from teachers and books, but for young children it comes through direct experienceexploring their
senses, using their bodies, and interacting with the world around them. We also think that learning is something
children dont want to dothey need to be bribed or forced to really learn. But the very nature of play is educational,
and a childs natural instinct is to enjoy learning through unstructured, fun activities. Through play, children freely
explore the world around them. Its a process of discovery through which children learn through trial and error. The
basic question at the start of all play is, What happens if I
The Beginning Of Play
What is play? Play is an activity freely chosen for the joy and fun it brings. But the earliest play is a bit more difficult to
define. Give a six-month-old anything from a toy to a household object and shell explore its physical properties by
looking at it, shaking and turning it, and putting it in her mouth. These apparently random actions are called crossmodal matching, which is simply how infants learn about everyday objects. Around six months, a child also begins to
realize that he can choose to perform a specific action. Experts call this intentional activity, and it may be the cause of a
babys first smiles and giggles. A babys realization that he or she can interact with the world leads to joy, and this joy
leads to play.
The first games are simply repetitive activities that improve basic motor skills. Psychologist and philosopher Jean Piaget
calls these practice games. Before long, these motor skills have improved enough that the child can begin more
complex actions. By stacking blocks, a child learns that he can create something new. And when a toddler deliberately
breaks a toy, hes not just being destructive; hes also learning that he can effect change on objects. For children,
everything is new, and every experience is learning. Theres really no such thing as an educational toyto a child,
every object offers an opportunity for learning. (Indeed, children often have more fun playing with the box or paper
their new toy came in than with the toy itself.)
Active Play
There are several different types of play, and all of them teach children valuable skills. One of the most basic varieties is
active play, through which kids develop physical skills and learn the possibilities and limitations of their bodies. Through
active play, children repeat newly-discovered skills and master some of the basic abilities of their bodies. Jumping up and
down, walking on a balance beam, playing hopscotch, and swinging on a swing set will help them to develop balance,
coordination, and strength. This type of activity allows children to experiment with different kinds of movement and
gain immediate answers about what they can do. Active play with other children can teach other concepts, such as
taking turns or sharing equipment. Adults would call this type of activity working out, but for children its not work at
all. This type of self-discovery is an important type of play, so parents and caregivers should give kids opportunities to
play outside as much as possible. When selecting childcare, look for safe opportunities for active play.

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Thinking, Feeling, Creating

Manipulative Play
Active play uses a childs entire body, but they need to learn more delicate motor skills as well. Manipulative
play develops a childs fine motor skills in her fingers and hands using small toys like crayons, scissors, tools, and
blocks. These activities allow a child to develop finger dexterity and learn about making small changes in objects
around them, which is vital to more complex types of play and learning. Manipulative play also lends itself to
discovering basic symbolic thinking. By the end of the first year babies enjoy shape sorting, and within a couple
years they can order and count. By organizing tiles or blocks, a child learns to recognize and copy patterns,
categorize, and classify. Puzzles teach about finding meaning in apparent chaos, teaching a child to recreate a
picture from a mental image. They require problem solving and strategizing and teach about the relationship of
parts and the whole. These may seem like big ideas for a young child, but in the context of play these lessons
come naturally. Its important for adults to allow children to discover and explore on their own terms in this
sort of play. A toddler might not categorize or sort objects in a way that seems logical to an adult, but theres
no wrong way to play. In order to discover and learn, a child must be able to try things that might not work.
Sensory Play
With sensory play, children learn about how the world feels, smells, tastes, looks, and reacts. In this type of
play, the world becomes a physics lab for a childs experimental exploration. A toddler learns at a faster rate
than a child in school, so this type of play is particularly rewarding for young children. Playing with clay gives a
child a chance to shape a small part of the world that is otherwise determined to shape him or her. By rolling,
pounding, and shaping the clay, the child learns that he or she can change objects and things and turn them into
different forms. Children enjoy exploring their senses with substances like sand and water, too. Splashing in a
bathtub gives a toddler firsthand experience of floating, sinking, and dissolving, even though he wont learn the
science behind them for years. Simple toys like pails, measuring cups, and other containers let children learn to
relate quantity to shape and size and also allow them the freedom to create whatever they want. As with
active play, its important to create a safe environment for children to explore interesting materials.
Creative Play
Children love to draw, paint, sing, and sculpt. These expressive activities are a form of language: they help both
kids and adults to relate to others and show their feelings. The best part about this kind of play is that its
creative, giving kids the chance to make something original and new. At first, a childs creative process is
experimental. Toddlers start by learning how their hand movements affect the colors that appear on the paper.
They explore color, the movement of the crayon or marker, and pure shapes. Much modern art embodies this
kind of experimentation. For centuries, pictorial art attempted to create lifelike images of objects and people in
the real world. But contemporary artists recapture a childs experimentalism in exploring color and shape.
Around age three, a childs art begins to be representative, and they begin to draw animals, people, and
objects. There are other kinds of creative play other than drawing and painting. Singing songs can refine
language, memory, and even movement. Blocks are a great creative toy because they offer a wide range of play
possibilities. Theres no one thing that they have to be used for, so they give the child an opportunity to
explore and discover. As a child develops mentally and physically, she will move from simply piling blocks to
building actual structures with height, width, and depth. There are blocks for kids of all ages, from simple,
colorful blocks for infants to elaborate engineering toys for teens. Its important to give children choice in what
to create. When talking with a child about his or her creations, try to be descriptive instead of critical, and
make comments that encourage language development. Parents can also take on an active role by drawing,
building, and playing alongside their children.
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Imagination And Cooperation

Pretend Play
In pretend or dramatic play, children play make-believe with objects, actions, or situations. This sort of play begins with
imitative play as children copy what they see their parents doingunpacking groceries, cleaning up around the house, or
talking on the telephone. By age three or four, children learn that objects can represent other objects, and symbolic
play emerges. In this type of play, an object becomes a symbol for something, even if it only resembles it remotely. A
simple wooden block can become a car, and a pile of mashed potatoes can represent a castle. By age four or five
children become more aware of the real world. A block isnt enough anymorea child wants a toy that looks like a real
car. Playing with social roles is an important part of pretend play. Playing dress-up allows a child to step into any social
role and to become someone else. A pretend store gives kids practice at being consumers, and toy sinks and stoves let
them practice household chores. Pretend play lets kids feel in control of their environment. When children play with
dolls they imitate closeness and dependency, which can help them understand their parents roles. Stuffed animals and
dolls are useful toys for pretend play because they let children project a wide variety of imaginative fantasies onto
them. Children will sometimes express feelings to stuffed animals that they arent yet ready to show to adults.
Cooperative Play
In the first two years of life, infants are learning about themselves, and they dont yet understand how to play with
others. This process begins slowly. Children three and under engage in parallel play, in which two or more children will
play by themselves, but close to each other. They may be using the same kind of toys, but theyre not playing together.
Between three and four years, children begin interacting with one another. In cooperative play, children learn how to
communicate, share, negotiate, cooperate, and compromise. Cooperative play is an important part of social
development, and it forms the basis for trust, sharing, friendship, confidence, and maturity as kids learn to form
meaningful relationships with their peers. Basic social roles like leader and follower will often present themselves
when children play together. Younger children may not be old enough to know how to take turns or play fair, and
boys may engage in roughhousing, so its a good idea to keep an eye on them to make sure no one gets hurt.
Scheduling play dates with other toddlers is a great way for preschoolers to develop cooperative play skills. As they
continue to develop intellectually, children will begin to enjoy games and sports with rules. Board games can teach
children how to take turns, how to deal with unpredictability and chance, and basic number and counting skills. A child
who cant count in his or her head can still count out spaces on a board. Theyll face simple threatslike having pieces
captured in checkers or chessthat will help them learn to strategize. Theyll learn about competition, risk taking,
planning ahead, and how to respond appropriately to victory and defeat. Organized sports can teach all of these skills
and are also a great way to get exercise, but its important not to force a child to play a game hes not interested in.
The Role Of Toys In Development
Given the educational rewards of all of the varieties of play that children engage in, what kind of toy is best? Toys that
can be only used for one thing dont give children much opportunity to explore. A simple sock puppet can be more
educational than the latest electronic gadget. Which is more valuable for a childlearning that pushing a button makes a
sound, or learning that imagination can bring objects to life? The most rewarding toys are those that allow the child
freedom to determine the type of playsimple toys like blocks, paints, and dolls. Spending too much time in front of a
TV or computer screen can hinder the hands-on experience that kids need to develop. Thats not to say that all
electronic games are badgames that allow children to take an active part in creating a world can enhance memory,
nonverbal communication, and intelligence. But children need to learn to explore and solve problems for themselves.
Play is a freely-chosen activity, so adults need to allow children freedom. If an adult is in control it ceases to be play, and
the child may miss out on the educational benefits of self-determined activity. Play is a dynamic process that combines
discovery, learning, and fun, and to get its full benefits children need freedom to explore and learn for themselves.
Childs Play

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Review

Play is the primary means of learning for young children. It gives them hands-on experience of skills and
concepts theyll need to master on the way to adulthood.
Play begins with cross-modal matching, through which infants explore objects, and intentional activity, through
which they explore the basic abilities of their bodies.
In active play, children master newly-discovered physical abilities like running, jumping, and balancing.
Manipulative play, in which children work with small toys and objects, develops fine motor skills in the fingers
and hands.
Children engage in sensory play to learn about how the world feels, smells, tastes, looks, and reacts.
Creative play allows kids to express their feelings through the creation of images, songs, and sculptures.
Pretend or dramatic play lets children explore different social roles and situations.
In cooperative play, children learn the social skills necessary for friendship and cooperation.
The best toys allow the child to determine the nature of play, leaving them plenty of freedom to explore and
learn on their own terms.

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Interactive Elements
Questions For Discussion
1. According to the video, everything a child can touch can be an educational toy. Can you think of examples of
children turning everyday objects into toys?
Children frequently play with boxes and wrapping paper instead of the toys they hold. In symbolic play,
any object can represent another object, even if it only resembles it remotely.
2. What does a child learn when he knocks down a pile of blocks?
When a child destroys things, he or she learns that he can change objects. Learning to create comes
later.
3. What do puzzles teach children?
Puzzles teach problem solving and strategizing as well as some important intellectual concepts. Puzzles
show kids that meaning can come from chaos and that an image formed in the mind can be realized.
4. How can parents encourage manipulative, creative, and sensory play?
Kids need a lot of freedom to explore on their own, especially in these kinds of play. Parents should
establish storage areas where kids can easily find toys and put them away themselves. Parents can also
take on an active role by playing alongside their kids.
5. How should parents and caregivers discuss artwork with a child?
When discussing a childs artwork, its important to be descriptive: I see you drew a curvy line; I like
those colors; Tell me about your sculpture. Asking questions presumes that a child has a definite goal,
and can subdue the childs exploration.
6. Discuss what makes a good toy.
The best toys can be played with in many ways, and allow the child to determine the type of play. Blocks,
puppets, sandboxes, and art supplies all provide many possibilities for children to explore.
7. Discuss the value of play dates in developing social skills.
8. What lessons do board games teach?
Board games can teach basic counting and number skills as well as more abstract concepts. In board
games children learn to deal with threats (like being captured in checkers), to understand unpredictability
and chance, and how to react to winning and losing.

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Suggested Activities
Activities
1. Observe a preschool or kindergarten class during recess or another free play time. Identify examples of each of the
six main types of play (active, manipulative, sensory, creative, dramatic, and cooperative).
2. Come up with a lesson plan for a group of toddlers. Be sure to include activities that allow all six of the main types
of play.

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Childs Play
Evaluation/Testing
FillFill-InIn-TheThe-Blank
Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the bank at the bottom of the page.
Play is the basis of learning in young children. As infants, children begin to explore physical objects by touching, holding,
and tasting them. This process is called ____________________.. They also discover that they can choose to perform
actions and movements, or engage in ____________________.. This leads to the repetition of simple actions, which
developmental psychologists call ____________________.. Before long, children are engaging in many different kinds
of play. ____________________develops fine motor skills in fingers and hands, while ____________________ lets
them explore the abilities of the entire body. The world becomes a physics lab in ____________________, where
children learn about how the world looks, feels, smells, tastes, and reacts. Kids express their feelings by creating works
of art in ____________________, and ____________________ lets them explore different social roles and
situations. Young children begin to learn social behavior by playing next to other children without interaction in
____________________, which soon blossoms into fully ____________________. There is plenty of overlap
between these different kinds of play, but all of them are essential to development as children play themselves into
adulthood.
Word Bank:
active play
cooperative play
creative play
cross-modal matching
intentional activity
manipulative play
parallel play
practice games
pretend play
sensory play

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Childs Play
FillFill-InIn-TheThe-Blank Answer Key
Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the bank at the bottom of the page.
Play is the basis of learning in young children. As infants, children begin to explore physical objects by touching, holding,
and tasting them. This process is called crosscross-modal matching.
matching They also discover that they can choose to perform
actions and movements, or engage in intentional activity.
activity This leads to the repetition of simple actions, which
developmental psychologists call practice games.
games Before long, children are engaging in many different kinds of play.
Manipulative play develops fine motor skills in fingers and hands, while active play lets them explore the abilities of the
entire body. The world becomes a physics lab in sensory play,
play where children learn about how the world looks, feels,
smells, tastes, and reacts. Kids express their feelings by creating works of art in creative play,
play and pretend play lets
them explore different social roles and situations. Young children begin to learn social behavior by playing next to other
children without interaction in parallel play,
play which soon blossoms into fully cooperative play.
play There is plenty of overlap
between these different kinds of play, but all of them are essential to development as children play themselves into
adulthood.

Word Bank:
active play
cooperative play
creative play
cross-modal matching
intentional activity
manipulative play
parallel play
practice games
pretend play
sensory play

Childs Play

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Childs Play
Multiple
Multiple Choice Worksheet
Circle the best available answer for each of the following:
6) In this kind of play, children learn about the
1) Play can be defined as:
possibilities and limitations of their bodies.
a) an activity that hinders hands-on educational
a) cooperative play
experience.
b) sensory play
b) cross-modal matching.
c) manipulative play
c) an activity freely chosen for the fun it brings.
d) active play
d) developing a childs fine motor skills in his or her fingers
and hands using small toys.
2) Toddlers learn ______ than children in school.
a) at a slower rate
b) at a faster rate
c) at the same rate
d) more thoroughly

7) In this kind of play, children create new and original

works of art.
a) creative play
b) dramatic play
c) cooperative play
d) manipulative play

3) The basic activity that precedes play in young infants is

called:
a) cross-modal matching.
b) imitation games.
c) make-believe.
d) parallel play.

8) In ________, simple objects become

representatives for other things, even if they only
resemble them remotely.
a) creative play
b) dramatic play
c) symbolic play
d) parallel play

4) The best toys are those that:

a) are labeled as educational
b) give the child a single task to accomplish
c) involve competition with other children
d) allow the child to determine the nature of play

9) Children learn best when they:

a) are guided by a parent or teacher.
b) repeat a physical activity over and over.
c) are allowed to freely choose their activity.
d) are told the right and wrong way to do a task.

5) In _______ children play next to each other without

directly interacting.
a) active play
b) parallel play
c) cooperative play
d) manipulative play

10) When talking with a child about his or her art, try
to be _______ instead of critical.
a) educational
b) descriptive
c) simplistic
d) creative

Childs Play

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Childs Play
Multiple Choice Worksheet Answer Key
Circle the best available answer for each of the following:
6) In this kind of play, children learn about the
1) Play can be defined as:
possibilities and limitations of their bodies.
a) an activity that hinders hands-on educational
a) cooperative play
experience.
b) sensory play
b) cross-modal matching.
c) manipulative play
c) an activity freely chosen for the fun it brings.
brings.
d) developing a childs fine motor skills in his or her fingers
d) active play
and hands using small toys.
2) Toddlers learn ______ than children in school.
a) at a slower rate
b) at a faster rate
c) at the same rate
d) more thoroughly

7) In this kind of play, children create new and original

works of art.
a) creative play
b) dramatic play
c) cooperative play
d) manipulative play

3) The basic activity that precedes play in young infants is

called:
a) crosscross-modal matching.
matching.
b) imitation games.
c) make-believe.
d) parallel play.

8) In ________, simple objects become

representatives for other things, even if they only
resemble them remotely.
a) creative play
b) dramatic play
c) symbolic play
d) parallel play

4) The best toys are those that:

a) are labeled as educational.
b) give the child a single task to accomplish.
c) involve competition with other children.
d) allow the child to determine the nature of play.
play.

9) Children learn best when they:

a) are guided by a parent or teacher.
b) repeat a physical activity over and over.
c) are allowed to freely choose their activity.
activity.
d) are told the right and wrong way to do a task.

5) In _______ children play next to each other without

directly interacting.
a) active play
b) parallel play
c) cooperative play
d) manipulative play

10) When talking with a child about his or her art, try
to be _______ instead of critical.
a) educational
b) descriptive
c) simplistic
d) creative

Childs Play

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Childs Play
Quiz
Match the words in the first column to the best available answer in the second column.
_____

These are one of the best toys because they allow many different kinds of play.
They can be sorted, stacked, or used to make elaborate constructions.

1) imitation play

_____

When infants begin to discover that they can choose to perform a specific
action, they are capable of this.

2) symbolic play

_____

In this type of play, everyday objects come to represent other things, even if
they only resemble them remotely.

3) active play

_____

A form of pretend play in which children copy their parents actions.

4) manipulative
play

_____

This toy is great for use with sand or water in sensory play.

5) blocks

_____

Organizing and sorting blocks, tiles, or other small objects in this type of play
can lead to the beginnings of symbolic thinking.

6) practice games

_____

Infants repeat a simple physical action over and over again in ____________..

7) pails

_____

A toddler jumping on a trampoline or walking on a balance beam is engaged in

this type of play.

8) intentional
activity

Childs Play

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Childs Play
Quiz Answer Key
Match the words in the first column to the best available answer in the second column.
5) blocks

These are one of the best toys because they allow many different kinds of play. They
can be sorted, stacked, or used to make elaborate constructions.

8) intentional activity

When infants begin to discover that they can choose to perform a specific action, they
are capable of this.

2) symbolic play

In this type of play, everyday objects come to represent other things, even if they only
resemble them remotely.

1) imitation play

A form of pretend play in which children copy their parents actions.

7) pails

This toy is great for use with sand or water in sensory play.

4) manipulative play

Organizing and sorting blocks, tiles, or other small objects in this type of play can lead
to the beginnings of symbolic thinking.

6) practice games

Infants repeat a simple physical action over and over again in __________..

3) active play

A toddler jumping on a trampoline or walking on a balance beam is engaged in this

type of play.

Childs Play

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Additional Information
Information
AgeAge-Appropriate Toys
Age Range

Types of Toys

Birth to 6 months

Rattles, large rings

Mobile with parts visible to baby
Toys that make noise when squeezed
Teething toys
Soft books with bright pictures
Unbreakable mirror
7 to 12 months All of the above plus: Rag or baby dolls, stuffed animals
Nesting toys or plastic containers; wooden blocks, large soft blocks
Recordings of voices, animals sounds
Floating water toys
Rubber or large plastic balls
Small riding toy with wheels
1 to 2 years
All of the above plus: Surprise or music box
Puzzles, 2 to 6 large pieces with knobs
Books and recordings
Sand and water toys, soft clay
Large cardboard box to crawl in
Safe pots, pans, lids, kitchen utensils; toy telephone
Large spools or beads to string
2 to 3 years All of the above plus: Puzzles with 4 to 20 pieces, picture lotto, picture dominoes
Pegboards, sewing cards
Finger or tempura paint, brushes, blunt scissors, white glue
Wagon or wheelbarrow; stacking toys
Large rubber ball
Washable doll with clothes, doll bed
Dress-up clothes
Riding toy
3 to 5 years All of the above plus: Puzzles with 20+ pieces
Simple card and board games
Smaller beads
Collage material and glue; thick crayons, chalk
More detailed books
Construction set with smaller pieces; toy workbench and saw
Xylophone, maracas, tambourine
Roller skates, plastic bats & balls
Child-sized stove & play food
Doll, carriage & accessories
Cash register, play money
5 to 8 years All the toys for 3 to 5 years plus:
More complex puzzles and games
Books with chapters
Watercolors, chalkboard
Simple camera
Harmonica, guitar, recorder
Playground balls, jump robe, Frisbee
Bicycle
Childs Play

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Glossary
Active play

Play in which children learn to develop and master the physical abilities of their bodies.

Cooperative play

Play involving two or more children. This type of play teaches children how to communicate,
share, negotiate, cooperate, and compromise

Creative play

Play in which kids express their feelings by creating original works of art.

Cross-modal matching The basic activity through which infants learn about physical objects. They touch, hold, and
taste objects to experience their various properties.
Dramatic play

See pretend play

Imitative play

Games in which young children copy the actions of their parents or caregivers.

Intentional activity

When an infant realizes that he or she can choose to perform a particular action, it is called
intentional activity.

Manipulative play

Play with small toys that develops a childs fine motor skills in fingers and hands.

Parallel play

When two children play next to each other without interacting directly, it is called parallel play.

Practice games

Repetitive motions or activities through which infants develop basic motor skills.

Pretend play

Play in which children play make believe with objects, actions, or situations to explore new
social roles and situations.

Sensory play

Exploratory, experimental play in which children learn how the world feels, looks, smells,
tastes, and reacts.

Symbolic play

Play in which simple objects represent other things, even if they only resemble them remotely.

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For More Information

Internet Resources
Ask Dr. Sears Play to Learn Toys
https://www.askdrsears.com/kids2home.asp
This child development site gives parents creative recommendations about how to play with children at different
developmental stages.
The Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting (CEEP)
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/
This organization runs a fee-based question-and-answer service for educators as well as offering extensive articles on
child development. They also maintain the archives of the former ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early
Childhood Education.
The National Network for Child Care
http://www.nncc.org/
Offers an extensive archive of articles and resources on issues for educators and child care professionals.
Smallfolk
http://www.smallfolk.com/
This website offers forums, articles, and assorted information for parents on the formative years of a childs
development.
Zero to Three http://www.zerotothree.org/
Offers wide-ranging information on all aspects of child development, including play and mental development.

Print Resources
Heidemann, Sandra, and Deborah Hewitt. Pathways to Play: Developing Play Skills in Young Children. Mt. Rainier, MD:
Gryphon House, 1992.
This practical guide focuses on developing cooperative play and social skills.
Mayes, Linda C., et. al. The Yale Child Study Center Guide to Understanding Your Child: Healthy Development from Birth to
Adolescence. Boston: Little, Brown, 2002.
This guide is organized by theme, making it a great reference for learning about development and play in
children of all ages.
Rogers, Cosby S., and Janet K. Sawyers. Play in the Lives of Children. Washington, DC: National Association for the
Education of Young Children, 1988.
This insightful guide, which emphasizes dramatic play, helps parents and educators alike understand the value of
play in a childs development.
Thomas, Thomas L. Play, Learn and Grow: An Annotated Guide to the Best Books and Materials for Very Young Children.
New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker, 1992.
This annotated bibliography reviews the best print and multimedia materials for stimulating a childs
development.
Tufts University: Eliot-Pearson Dept. of Child Development. Proactive Parenting: Guiding Your Child from Two to Six. New
York: Berkley Books, 2003.
An excellent overall guide to the physical and psychological development of toddlers.

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