Supporting Play: Birth Through Age Eight

Why and how to teach children through play is the focus of this text, aimed at educating current and future teachers of children from birth through age eight. The text reviews current research about play in young children and examines how play benefits their social/emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Students will come to understand how they can implement a play-based program for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten children and primary-age children, including specifics for setting up a classroom to encourage play. Recommendations for facilitating play with special needs children are included throughout the text, and a special section is dedicated to this subject.