“Supporting Play in Early Childhood: Environment,

Curriculum, Assessment 2nd Edition”

Play is fun, and for most young children, play occurs naturally. Early scholars of early
childhood education recognized that children are predisposed to play either alone or
with others. For this reason, play formed the foundation of early childhood education
during it’s infancy. Throughout the twentieth century, play was examined from variety of
disciplines using multiple perspectives. Today we know more about the benefits and
value of play for young children than at any other time in history. Specifically, play
contributes to cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth and development.
Support for play as a medium for learning has been established by scholars such as
Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, Pelligrini, Reifek, Johnson, Christie, Bergen, and Smith. The
most current neuroscience provides evidence for these findings. Today, high-quality
early childhood education programs include courses and information about the value of
play. The book was written with the needs of the following readers mind: 1.) Students in
early childhood education programs. 2.) Early childhood education educators, directors,
and classroom teachers. 3.) Graduate students in education and psychology. 5.)
Parents and grandparents of young children.

Knowing and understanding the theories and foundations of play is critically important
for anyone who is interested in teaching young children. The first three chapters of this
book provide a basis knowing and understanding how to use play as pedagogy in the
classroom. The first chapter focuses on making the case for play, the second chapter
provides the rationale for promoting play, and the final chapter in this section focuses on
developing skills in capturing the essence of children’s play through observation and
assessment. The three chapters in the first part make the case for play so that it can be
viewed as a positive force for learning and improving the child’s quality of life.

The study of play moves from theory to practice in this section. Planning, implementing,
and assessing play programs for children during the first five years is fully developed in
Part II. Beginning with infants and moving through the first five years, Chapters 4, 5 and
6 focus on fully developing play during the early years. That is, Chapter 4 places the
spotlight on designing infant and toddler programs, chapter 5 delves into creating
programs for preschoolers (three-and four-year-olds), and Chapter 6 looks at
developing programs for kindergarteners. The sequential, comprehensive nature of
these chapters equips the early childhood professional with a solid core of knowledge
and the necessary tools for implementing effective programs for young children.

Play as a force for curriculum moves beyond the kindergarten classroom and into the
primary, middle childhood, and special education areas in Part III. Chapter 7
approaches play as vehicle for learning academic content in the areas of reading,
mathematics, science and social studies. Chapter 8 considers the case for play in
middle childhood. The relationship between play and science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) is a major emphasis in this chapter. Chapter 9 considers how play is
used to support learning for all children—especially children who have special needs.
Collectively, these chapters support the notion that play is a vehicle for teaching and
learning academic content.

Making the case for play in and out of the classrooms is the focus of the final two
chapters. Chapter 10 explores the need for and possibilities of outdoor play. Play places
and spaces for children are considered in terms of the individual ages and stages.
Chapter 11 moves to a different venue by considering the role of professionalism in
advocating for play. Chapter 11 looks at the importance of thoroughly understanding
current trends and issues, such as the use of technology, before becoming a
spokesperson in a public forum.